2. Academic Validation
  3. Nanoparticles coated with osteoblast-like cell membranes as curcumin delivery vehicles for targeted postmenopausal osteoporosis therapy

Nanoparticles coated with osteoblast-like cell membranes as curcumin delivery vehicles for targeted postmenopausal osteoporosis therapy

  • Mater Today Bio. 2025 Dec 9:36:102636. doi: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2025.102636.
Qicheng Li 1 2,  Shiyan Liu 3,  Tianze Sun 1 2,  Kun Liu 4,  Pengcheng Li 4,  Yanxia Zhu 3,  Yuhui Kou 1 2 5
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Trauma and Orthopedics, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, 100044, China.
  • 2 Key Laboratory of Trauma and Neural Regeneration, Peking University, Beijing, 100044, China.
  • 3 Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China.
  • 4 Yunnan Baiyao Group Co., Ltd., Yunnan, 650500, China.
  • 5 National Center for Trauma Medicine, Beijing, 100044, China.
PMID: 41497898 DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2025.102636
Abstract

Postmenopausal osteoporosis, driven by estrogen-deficient bone loss, faces therapeutic challenges due to current drug side effects and off-target effects. While curcumin demonstrates dual osteogenic and antiresorptive activity, its clinical translation is hindered by poor aqueous solubility, chemical instability, and photolability. A bone-targeted delivery system using osteoblast-like cell membrane-coated nanoparticles was designed to enhance precision and efficacy for treating osteoporosis. Through systematic database analysis, osteoblast-like cell membrane containing CXCR4 and TNF-α receptors were selected to coat curcumin-loaded PLGA nanoparticles (Cur@NPs), namely OM/Cur@NPs. OM/Cur@NPs and Cur@NPs were injected into ovariectomized (OVX) mice to comparatively assess in vivo bone-targeting. Additionally, leveraging the specific binding capability of TNFR to TNF-α, we evaluated the effects of cell membrane-coated nanoparticles on osteoblasts and osteoclasts formation under TNF-α stimulation in vitro. We further evaluated the anti-osteoporotic efficacy of OM/Cur@NPs in vivo by micro-CT analysis (BMD, Tb.BV/TV, Tb.N, Tb.Th, Tb.Sp) and histological examination of bone formation and resorption. The OM/Cur@NPs group exhibited higher bone accumulation compared to Cur@NPs in OVX mice. Notably, these biomimetic nanoparticles neutralized TNF-α, thereby enhancing osteoblastic functions, while attenuating the synergistic pro-osteoclastogenic effects of TNF-α and RANKL. In vivo studies demonstrated that the OM/Cur@NPs-treated group showed superior radiographic bone parameters (BMD, Tb.BV/TV, Tb.N, Tb.Th, Tb.Sp) compared to Other experimental groups. Furthermore, histological examination revealed the dual efficacy of OM/Cur@NPs in enhancing bone formation while inhibiting bone resorption in osteoporotic mice. This dual-functional platform couples targeted drug delivery with inflammatory microenvironment modulation and holds promise for metabolic bone disorders.

Keywords

Bone targeting; Curcumin; Nanoparticles; Osteoporosis; TNF-α.

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