2. Academic Validation
  3. PUFAs-enriched oil bodies as natural anti-osteoarthritis drug delivery platforms

PUFAs-enriched oil bodies as natural anti-osteoarthritis drug delivery platforms

  • Mater Today Bio. 2025 Nov 24:35:102606. doi: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2025.102606.
Lin Shen 1 2 3 4,  Junyan Li 1 2 3,  Xinyu Zhang 1 5,  Quanzhou Wu 3,  Hongkai Qi 1,  Chao Lou 2 3,  Zhang Chen 1,  Lingfeng Wu 1,  Xiaoxiao Chen 1 6,  Fengkai Qiu 1 6,  Minjiang Chen 1 6 5 4,  Xiaokun Li 4,  Zhouguang Wang 4,  Ye Zhu 2 3,  Dengwei He 1 2 3,  Jiansong Ji 1 6 4,  Gaofeng Shu 1 6 5
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Zhejiang Engineering Research Center of Interventional Medicine Engineering and Biotechnology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui, 323000, China.
  • 2 Department of Spinal Surgery, Lishui Central Hospital, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui, 323000, China.
  • 3 Department of Orthopaedics, Lishui Central Hospital, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui, 323000, China.
  • 4 School of Pharmaceutical Science, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, China.
  • 5 Cixi Biomedical Research Institute, Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang, China.
  • 6 Department of Radiology, Lishui Central Hospital, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui, 323000, China.
PMID: 41399362 DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2025.102606
Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent degenerative condition that leads to cartilage degradation, joint pain, and functional impairment, with few effective treatment options available. Curcumin (Cur), a polyphenol with potential therapeutic benefits for OA, is constrained by its poor solubility and bioavailability. In this study, we developed an innovative Cur delivery platform utilizing flaxseed-derived oil bodies (OBs), which are naturally enriched with ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) that exhibit significant anti-inflammatory and antioxidant characteristics. We demonstrated that OBs could efficiently encapsulate Cur via a pH-driven method, significantly improving its aqueous dispersibility and bioavailability. The Cur-loaded OBs (Cur/OBs) exhibited superior anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects by reducing intracellular ROS, alleviating inflammation, and preventing chondrocyte Apoptosis. Additionally, Cur/OBs promoted the polarization of M1 pro-inflammatory macrophages to M2 anti-inflammatory macrophages through the PPARγ/NF-κB signaling pathway. In an experimental rat OA model, Cur/OBs significantly mitigated the progression of OA, outperforming free Cur and OBs alone. These findings suggest that PUFAs-enriched OBs are an effective carrier for Cur, offering a synergistic therapeutic strategy for OA.

Keywords

Curcumin; Macrophage polarization; Oil bodies; Osteoarthritis; Synergistic treatment.

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