Cytotoxic effects of flurbiprofen on rat adipose-derived stem cells

Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) offer a novel approach for treating orthopaedic diseases. Flurbiprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory analgesic drug used in bone injury therapy. However, its cytotoxicity to ADSCs remains unclear.The differentiation potential of ADSCs was analysed <i>in vitro</i> using the differentiation induction method. Microscopic analysis, Live/Dead staining, MTT assay, and CCK8 assay were used to determine the cytotoxic effects of flurbiprofen on ADSCs at different concentration gradients. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels were measured by ELISA to reflect flurbiprofen's effects on the activity and paracrine function of ADSCs. ANOVA was applied, with <i>p</i> < 0.05 considered significant and <i>p</i> < 0.01 highly significant.Live cell concentration decreased dose-dependently with flurbiprofen treatment, particularly on the 7th day. The level of VEGF decreased significantly with the increase of the concentration of flurbiprofen in a certain concentration range, which indicated that flurbiprofen could inhibit the activity and secreted proteins of ADSCs.Our study showed that small doses of flurbiprofen did not affect the secretion of proteins by cells and cell activity. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the concentration of flurbiprofen in the clinical application of ADSCs therapy for orthopaedic diseases.