Effect of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on growth and functional activity of osteoblasts in vitro

To investigate the effects of new and traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on the proliferation, morphology, adhesion, activity and expression of osteoblast related genes of MG-63 osteoblasts by establishing a osteogenic model of implants.

MG-63 cells were implanted on sand-blasted, largegrit, acid-etched titanium plates surface (SLA) to establish a model of osseointegration between implant surface and osteoblasts. The experiments included NO-flurbiprofen group, flurbiprofen group and the control group. Cell proliferation was detected by CCK-8 assay, cell morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cell adhesion was detected by MTT assay, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was detected by chemical method, calcified nodules was observed after Alizarin red staining, and the expression of bone formation related genes ALP, OCN, Runx-2 was detected by RT-qPCR.

CCK-8 assay showed that statistical difference was observed in cell proliferation among the groups treated with different drug concentrations (P<0.01). Cell proliferation was higher in the NO-flurbiprofen group and the flurbiprofen group than the control group, and in the NO-flurbiprofen group than the flurbiprofen group (P<0.01). SEM displayed that the cells from the NO-flurbiprofen group grew to multiple lays first. Cell adhesion results showed that the number of cell adhesion was lower in the NO-flurbiprofen group than the flurbiprofen group and the control group (P<0.01). ALP activity of drug groups was lower than the control group (P<0.01). No typical red deeply stained calcified nodules were observed in neither NO-flurbiprofen group nor flurbiprofen group during the observation period. RT-qPCR indicated that the mRNA expression of OCN in the NO-flurbiprofen group and Runx-2 in the flurbiprofen group was higher than those of the control group, while the mRNA level of ALP was lower than that of the control group (P<0.01).

Both NO-flurbiprofen and flurbiprofen effectively promote the proliferation of osteoblasts on the surface of titanium plates and the expression of some osteogenic related genes. The promotion effect of NO-flurbiprofen is more significant.