Extracellular Vesicles in Bone Remodeling and Osteoporosis

Global scientific trends on exosomes therapy for osteoporosis from 2004 to 2023: A bibliometric and visualized analysis

BACKGROUND

Exosomes have emerged as pivotal mediators in modulating physiological and pathological processes implicated in osteoporosis (OP) through their distinctive mode of intracellular communication. The use of exosomes has evoked considerable interest, catalyzing a surge in research endeavors on a global scale. This study endeavors to scrutinize contemporary landscapes and burgeoning trends in this realm.

METHODS

The Web of Science Core Collection was used to retrieve publications on exosomes therapy for OP within the time frame of January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2023. The bibliometric methodology was applied to study and index the collected data. VOSviewer and citespace software were used to conduct visualization, co-authorship, co-occurrence, and publication trend analyses of exosome therapy in OP.

RESULTS

A total of 610 publications (443 articles and 167 reviews) from 51 countries and 911 institutions were included in this study. Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Central South University, Sichuan University, and Zhejiang University are leading research institutions in this field. Stem Cell Research Therapy published the highest number of articles and has emerged as the most cited journal. Of the 4077 scholars who participated in the study, Xie, Hui, Zhang, Yan, Tan, and Yi-Juan had the largest number of articles. Furthermore, according to the cluster analysis of external keywords, future research hotspots can be categorized into 3 directions: research status of exosomes for the treatment of OP, treatment of OP through exosome-regulated signaling pathways, and exosomes as targeted drug delivery systems.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that the number of future publications on exosome therapy for OP will increase, with a focus on fundamental investigations into drug-loading capacities and molecular mechanisms. In summary, this study presents the first systematic bibliometric analysis of exosome therapy publications in OP, providing an objective and comprehensive overview of the field and a valuable reference for researchers in this domain.

Exosomal circFAM63Bsuppresses bone regeneration of postmenopausal osteoporosis via regulating miR-578/HMGA2 axis

Postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) affects hundreds of millions of elderly women worldwide. The imbalance between osteoblast-mediated bone formation and osteoclast-mediated bone resorption is the key factor in the progression of PMOP. Recently, exosomal circular RNAs have been considered as critical regulators in physiological and pathological progress. However, their roles in PMOP still require further exploration. Herein, we identified that the expression of exosomal circFAM63B significantly increased in PMOP patients and is closely related to bone density. We further demonstrated that circFAM63B inhibits osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells and bone formation in ovariectomy mice by using a combination of in vitro and in vivo experiment strategies. Mechanistically, circFAM63B promotes HMGA2 expression by inhibiting miR-578, thereby suppressing bone repair. Our study proved that exosomal circFAM63B suppresses the bone regeneration of PMOP by regulating the miR-578/HMGA2 axis, which may provide new insights into the pathogenesis and development of PMOP. Knocking down exosomal circFAM63B could be regarded as a new strategy for the treatment of PMOP.

Highlights on the Effects of Non-Coding RNAs in the Osteonecrosis of the Jaw

Osteonecrosis of the jaw is the progressive loss and destruction of bone affecting the maxilla or mandible in patients treated with antiresorptive and antiangiogenic agents without receiving prior radiation therapy. The pathogenesis involves the inflammatory pathway of receptor activator of nuclear factor NF-kB ligand and the macrophage colony-stimulating factor, essential for osteoclast precursors survival and proliferation and acting through its receptor c-Fms. Evidence has shown the role of non-coding RNAs in the pathogenesis of osteonecrosis of the jaw and this finding might be useful in diagnosis since these small RNAs could be considered as biomarkers of apoptotic activity in bone. Interestingly, it has been proved that miR-29 and miR-31-5p, acting on specific targets such as CALCR and RhoA, promote programmed-cell death and consequently the necrosis of bone tissue. Specific long non-coding RNAs, instead, have been detected both at reduced levels in patients with multiple myeloma and osteonecrosis, and associated with suppression of osteoblast differentiation, with consequences in the progression of mandible lesions. Among non-coding genic material, circular RNAs have the capability to modify the expression of specific mRNAs responsible for the inhibition of bisphosphonates activity on osteoclastogenesis.