Effects and mechanisms of berberine-loaded tetrahedral framework nucleic acids on osteoporosis

Abstract

Osteoporosis is a disease that plagues the world, the complications of which, spinal fractures and hip fractures, seriously endanger the health of the elderly. At present, the main treatment for osteoporosis is anti-osteoporosis drugs, some of which, however, have poor efficacy and side effects. Thus, the development of new drugs for the treatment of osteoporosis is of clinical significance. Berberine (BBR) has a good therapeutic effect on osteoporosis, but its poor solubility and instability limit its effect. Tetrahedral framework nucleic acids (tFNAs) are a novel nano-drug delivery tool, and their good cell entry ability and stability make them an excellent carrier. Therefore, a new nanocomplex T-BBR was synthesized by carrying BBR with tFNAs. Compared with BBR, T-BBR showed better osteogenic and anti-osteoporosis abilities in both in vivo and in vitro experiments, the mechanism of which was realized through the Wnt signaling pathway.