Hongyan Zhou, Xuan Yao, Shuhang Liu, Yuheng Li, Li Hu, Jing Zhang, Wenhui Hu, Shiwu Dong

doi:https://doi.org/10.12336/bmt.25.00002

Selenium is an essential trace mineral crucial for human health. The selenium-selenoprotein axis exerts biological effects that are associated with bone and joint health. The metabolism of selenium in vivo involves multiple physiological mechanisms and organs working synergistically to maintain selenium homeostasis. Studies underscore the roles of selenium in diverse physiological processes, including antioxidant defense, anti-inflammatory responses, immune regulation, osteogenesis, and thyroid hormone metabolism. Conditions such as Kashin–Beck disease, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis (OA), and osteoporosis have been linked to selenium deficiency. Adequate selenium supplementation has been shown to prevent and treat bone and joint-related diseases. While numerous natural and synthetic selenium compounds have been explored for their therapeutic potential in bone and joint-related diseases, their narrow therapeutic windows pose challenges. In recent years, selenium-based biomaterials have been extensively studied and applied in biomedical research. These biomaterials exhibit reduced toxicity and enhanced bioavailability compared to inorganic and organic selenium, making them promising strategies for targeted selenium delivery. Selenium-based biomaterials provide a more efficient alternative for the treatment of bone defects, osteoporosis, osteosarcoma, OA, RA, and other related diseases. This review highlights the pathophysiological functions of selenium in maintaining bone and joint homeostasis and summarizes the current progress in utilizing selenium-based biomaterials for treating bone and joint-related diseases.

Xufeng Wan, Yanli Huang, Zongke Zhou, Duan Wang

doi:https://doi.org/10.12336/bmt.25.00008

Xiao Xiao, Baozhong Duan, Yuan Zhuang, Lei Zhang

doi:https://doi.org/10.12336/bmt.24.00089

Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, representing a significant threat to human health. Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop effective treatment strategies with low toxicity. Quinone-based natural products have garnered considerable attention in the field of anticancer research due to their distinctive chemical structures. These compounds play a crucial role in treating various cancers and in overcoming chemotherapy resistance through several mechanisms, including the inhibition of cell proliferation and migration, as well as the modulation of multiple signaling pathways. However, their clinical application is limited by severe side effects, which arise from certain physicochemical properties, such as poor water solubility and low biocompatibility. The advent of nanotechnology has led to the development of nanomedicine delivery systems, offering a groundbreaking approach to overcome these limitations. Nanocarriers, characterized by their excellent biocompatibility, favorable pharmacokinetics, and high drug-loading capacities, enhance the bioavailability and targeting of natural products while reducing adverse effects. Therefore, integrating quinone-based natural products with nanocarrier delivery systems has proven to be an effective anticancer strategy. This approach not only improves the absorption of drugs with poor bioavailability but also significantly reduces side effects. Various nanodelivery systems, including micelles, liposomes, inorganic nanoparticles, and biomimetic nanocarriers, are particularly effective in delivering quinone-based natural products due to their unique physical and chemical properties, thereby enhancing their solubility and stability. In addition, targeted modifications, intelligent controlled release, and combination therapy strategies have significantly improved their bioavailability and antitumor efficacy. This review systematically examines the antitumor potential of quinone-based natural products and provides a comprehensive overview of the current research and clinical application prospects of their nanodelivery systems in cancer treatment. It aims to summarize the current progress and clinical prospects of integrating these compounds with nanocarrier-based drug delivery systems in cancer treatment.

Zixuan Meng, Xinpeng Wang, Yingying He, Kangming Tian, Jinlai Miao, Yubo Fan

doi:https://doi.org/10.12336/bmt.25.00006

Sodium alginate (SA)-based hydrogels, derived from SA, are a class of polymer hydrogels that have garnered significant attention due to their excellent biocompatibility, eco-friendly production processes, and the abundance and cost-effectiveness of their raw materials. These hydrogels hold vast potential for applications across multiple fields, such as biomedical engineering, flexible sensors, food science, and environmental management. To enhance and diversify their functional capabilities, the functionalization of SA-based hydrogels has become a focal point of research. This study provides a comprehensive review of the field, starting with a systematic summary of the functional preparation methods of SA-based hydrogels developed in recent years. These methods encompass physical and chemical modification techniques, which are crucial for tailoring the properties of the hydrogels to specific applications. Physical modification is typically achieved by mixing with nanomaterials, natural materials, and polymer materials through physical interaction forces, whereas chemical modification is mainly obtained through oxidation, sulfonation, and graft polymerization. The main applications of SA-based hydrogels are also reviewed, including those applied in flexible detection, tissue engineering, food, and water treatment, offering a detailed comparative analysis of their performance in these areas. Finally, the study looks ahead to future research and development prospects of SA-based hydrogels, aiming to drive further advancements in their functional development and expand their application scope. By thoroughly analyzing current research and future directions, this paper seeks to stimulate continued innovation and practical applications of SA-based hydrogels. 

Zhaopu Han, Yangguang Huang, Zhibao Chen, Tingting Tan, Yucai Li, Yujie Chen, Linfeng Xu, Pengfei Xia, Xiaojian Ye

doi:https://doi.org/10.12336/bmt.24.00088

The physicochemical properties of hydrogel scaffolds, including storage modulus, loss modulus, swelling ratio, porosity, pore size, and roughness, are capable of promoting macrophage polarization into anti-inflammatory phenotype (M2) to accelerate tissue repair. However, most current studies focus on the effects of individual properties on M2 polarization, examining each in isolation. Enhancing the synergistic effects of multiple physicochemical properties is a challenge. In this work, a novel strategy called interpretable machine learning-driven optimization of physicochemical properties (IML-OPP) is proposed to address this challenge. In the IML-OPP strategy, the optimal value of each physicochemical property was sequentially determined based on its ranked importance. First, an initial value was identified for each property by maximizing the individual effect to promote M2 polarization. Then, these initial values were optimized based on their interactive effects. Once all the optimal values were determined, an optimized combination of physicochemical properties was designed to construct a hydrogel scaffold optimized for promoting M2 polarization. To assess the robustness and universality of the IML-OPP strategy, three optimized combinations of physicochemical properties were generated and evaluated. These results offer theoretical guidance for designing hydrogel scaffolds aimed at promoting M2 polarization.