Wireless Electrochemotherapy by Selenium-Doped Piezoelectric Biomaterials to Enhance Cancer Cell Apoptosis

Cancer residues around the surgical site remain a significant cause of treatment failure with cancer recurrence. To prevent cancer recurrence and simultaneously repair surgery-caused defects, it is urgent to develop implantable biomaterials with anticancer ability and good biological activity. In this work, a functionalized implant is successfully fabricated by doping the effective anticancer element selenium (Se) into the potassium–sodium niobate piezoceramic, which realizes the wireless combination of electrotherapy and chemotherapy. Herein, we demonstrate that the Se-doped piezoelectric implant can cause mitochondrial damage by increasing intracellular reactive oxygen species levels and then trigger the caspase-3 pathway to significantly promote apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells in vitro. Meanwhile, its good biocompatibility has been verified. These results are of great importance for future deployment of wireless electro- and chemostimulation to modulate biological process around the defective tissue.