Tetrahedral framework nucleic acids enhance the chondrogenic potential of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells via the PI3K/AKT axis

Cutting-edge biotherapeutics and advanced delivery strategies for the treatment of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease spectrum

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), a condition with the potential to progress into liver cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma, has become a significant global health concern due to its increasing prevalence alongside obesity and metabolic syndrome. Despite the promise of existing therapies such as thyroid hormone receptor-β (THR-β) agonists, PPAR agonists, FXR agonists, and GLP-1 receptor agonists, their effectiveness is limited by the complexity of the metabolic, inflammatory, and fibrotic pathways that drive MASLD progression, encompassing steatosis, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), and reversible liver fibrosis. Recent advances in targeted therapeutics, including RNA interference (RNAi), mRNA-based gene therapies, monoclonal antibodies, proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTAC), peptide-based strategies, cell-based therapies such as CAR-modified immune cells and stem cells, and extracellular vesicle-based approaches, have emerged as promising interventions. Alongside these developments, innovative drug delivery systems are being actively researched to enhance the stability, precision, and therapeutic efficacy of these biotherapeutics. These delivery strategies aim to optimize biodistribution, improve target-specific action, and reduce systemic exposure, thus addressing critical limitations of existing treatment modalities. This review provides a comprehensive exploration of the underlying biological mechanisms of MASLD and evaluates the potential of these cutting-edge biotherapeutics in synergy with advanced delivery approaches to address unmet clinical needs. By integrating fundamental disease biology with translational advancements, it aims to highlight future directions for the development of effective, targeted treatments for MASLD and its associated complications.

Programmable biomaterials for bone regeneration

Programmable biomaterials are distinguished by their ability to adjust properties and functions on demand, in a periodic, reversible, or sequential manner. This contrasts with traditional biomaterials, which undergo irreversible, uncontrolled changes. This review synthesizes key advances in programmable biomaterials, examining their design principles, functionalities and applications in bone regeneration. It charts the transition from traditional to programmable biomaterials, emphasizing their enhanced precision, safety and control, which are critical from clinical and biosafety standpoints. We then classify programmable biomaterials into six types: dynamic nucleic acid-based biomaterials, electrically responsive biomaterials, bioactive scaffolds with programmable properties, nanomaterials for targeted bone regeneration, surface-engineered implants for sequential regeneration and stimuli-responsive release materials. Each category is analyzed for its structural properties and its impact on bone tissue engineering. Finally, the review further concludes by highlighting the challenges faced by programmable biomaterials and suggests integrating artificial intelligence and precision medicine to enhance their application in bone regeneration and other biomedical fields.

Inspired by lubricin: a tailored cartilage-armor with durable lubricity and autophagy-activated antioxidation for targeted therapy of osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA), which disables articular cartilage, affects millions of people. The self-healing capacity is inhibited by internal oxidative stress and external lubrication deficiency and enzymatic degradation. To overcome these challenges, a tailored cartilage-armor is designed to ameliorate the inflamed cartilage, which is implemented by a novel collagen type II (Col II)-binding peptide conjugated zwitterionic polymer (PSB-b-PColBP, PSP). By mimicking natural lubricin, PSP specifically targets the cartilage surface and forms an in situ hydration armor. This engineered cartilage-armor can prevent enzymatic cartilage degradation (nearly 100% resistance to catabolic enzymes) and provide durable lubrication properties (COF < 0.013 for 500 cycles). An autophagy-activation process, absent in previous biomimetic lubricants, enhances the enzymatic activity of the tailored cartilage-armor, offering effective anti-oxidant properties to suppress oxidative stress. By inhibiting the PI3K-Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway, chondrocytes protected by the tailored armor can secrete a cartilage matrix even in inflammatory microenvironments. In OA rat models, osteophyte formation and the inflammatory response have been inhibited by the cartilage-armor, demonstrating a therapeutic effect comparable to most drug-loaded systems. This study underscores the potential of tailoring cartilage-armor with the cartilage targeting and autophagy-activating properties in integrating offensive-defensive mechanisms for cartilage remodeling. This represents an alternative strategy for clinical OA therapy.

Effect of chitin-architected spatiotemporal three-dimensional culture microenvironments on human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation has been explored for the clinical treatment of various diseases. However, the current two-dimensional (2D) culture method lacks a natural spatial microenvironment in vitro. This limitation restricts the stable establishment and adaptive maintenance of MSC stemness. Using natural polymers with biocompatibility for constructing stereoscopic MSC microenvironments may have significant application potential. This study used chitin-based nanoscaffolds to establish a novel MSC three-dimensional (3D) culture. We compared 2D and 3D cultured human umbilical cord-derived MSCs (UCMSCs), including differentiation assays, cell markers, proliferation, and angiogenesis. When UCMSCs are in 3D culture, they can differentiate into bone, cartilage, and fat. In 3D culture condition, cell proliferation is enhanced, accompanied by an elevation in the secretion of paracrine factors, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), and Interleukin-8 (IL-8) by UCMSCs. Additionally, a 3D culture environment promotes angiogenesis and duct formation with HUVECs (Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells), showing greater luminal area, total length, and branching points of tubule formation than a 2D culture. MSCs cultured in a 3D environment exhibit enhanced undifferentiated, as well as higher cell activity, making them a promising candidate for regenerative medicine and therapeutic applications.