Osteoclast-derived microRNA-containing exosomes selectively inhibit osteoblast activity

With the support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and National Basic Research Program of China,the research team led by Prof.Li Yingxian(李英贤)at the State Key Laboratory of Space Medicine Fundamentals and Application,China Astronaut Research and Training Center,discovered that osteoclast-derived microRNA-containing exosomes selectively inhibited osteoblast activity,which was pub-

Multifunctional mesoporous bioactive glass/upconversion nanoparticle nanocomposites with strong red emission to monitor drug delivery and stimulate osteogenic differentiation of stem cells

For the therapy and regeneration of bone defects resulting from malignant bone tumors, it is necessary to develop multifunctional biomaterials that are able to deliver therapeutic drugs, monitor drug release, and stimulate bone formation. Herein, a multifunctional mesoporous bioactive glass （MBG）/upconversion nanoparticle （UCNP） nanocomposite [UCNPs@SiO2@mSiO2-XCa （X = 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20）] with the ability to deliver anti-cancer drugs, monitor drug release, and stimulate osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells （BMSCs） was successfully prepared using a layer-by-layer strategy. The nanocomposite spheres possess a core--sheU structure composed of UCNPs and a mesoporous SiO2/Ca layer with a uniform size distribution of 100 nm. The incorporation of Ca into the nanocomposites induced phase transformation from a pure hexagonal phase to a cubic phase, and facilitated the occurrence of red emission, which significantly improved fluorescence penetration for deep tissue imaging. In addition, since the red emission strongly overlaps with the maximum absorbance of the anti-cancer drug zinc phthalocyanine （ZnPc）, red luminescence could be strongly quenched by ZnPc. Consequently, drug release could be quantified by monitoring changes in fluorescence intensity. Furthermore, the incorporation of Ca into MBG/UCNP nanocomposites remarkably improved bioactivity, i.e., it stimulated apatite mineralization in simulated body fluids and enhanced cell proliferation and bone-related gene expression in BMSCs for the concentration range of 200-500 ~g/mL. Our results suggest that the prepared MBG/UCNP nanocomposites are useful for the therapy and regeneration of bone defects resulting from malignant bone tumors owing to their distinct multifunctionality, including strong red emission and functions in drug-delivery monitoring and osteostimulation.

Effect of Porous Activated Charcoal Reinforcement on Mechanical and In-Vitro Biological Properties of Polyvinyl Alcohol Composite Scaffolds

The present work focused on developing an innovative composite material by reinforcing polymer matrix with highly porous activated charcoal. Polyvinyl alcohol-activated charcoal（PVA-AC） composite scaffolds were developed by varying the AC concentrations（0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 and 2.5 wt%） in PVA matrix by freeze drying method. The developed scaffolds were characterized for their physicochemical, mechanical and in-vitro biological properties. In addition, the effect of AC on the attachment, proliferation and differentiation of osteoblast MG 63 cells was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, 3-（4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl）-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide（MTT） assay, alkaline phosphatase（ALP） activity assay and alizarin red stain-based（ARS） assay. All the PVA-AC composite scaffolds exhibited good bioactivity, hemocompatibility and protein adsorption properties. The scaffolds with high AC concentration（2.5 wt%） showed controlled drug release kinetics that are suitable for long term healing. The mechanical properties of all the PVA-AC composite scaffolds were improved when compared to the pure PVA scaffold. The high porosity, swelling degree and hydrophilicity of PVA-AC composite scaffolds facilitated cell attachment and proliferation. This is due to porous AC present in the sample that supported the osteoblast differentiation and formed mineralized nodules without the addition of any extra agents. From the above studies, it can be concluded that PVA-AC composite scaffolds are promising biomaterials for bone tissue engineering applications.