{"title":"MXene-Mediated Nanocarrier Delivery Enhances the Chondroprotective Effects of Quercetin in Experimental Osteoarthritis.","authors":"Kaifeng Gan, Jie Li, Xuyang Zhang, Zhenhua Feng, Junhui Liu, Fengdong Zhao","doi":"10.2147/IJN.S540035","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic joint disease that severely affects patients' quality of life. Quercetin, a natural flavonoid, exhibits chondroprotective effects, though its bioavailability through regular oral consumption is limited. In this study, we employed two-dimensional MXene nanosheets as a nanocarrier to facilitate targeted intracellular delivery of quercetin, aiming to enhance its therapeutic efficacy against OA.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Methods: Porous Ti₃C₂Tₓ MXene nanosheets were synthesized via selective etching and then loaded with quercetin through physical adsorption. Material characterization was performed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and in vitro release assays. For in vitro evaluation, IL-1β-stimulated primary mouse articular chondrocytes (ACs) were treated with free quercetin or MXene-loaded quercetin, followed by assessments of cell viability, apoptosis, cell cycle progression, migration, oxidative stress markers, and ferroptosis-related protein expression. For in vivo validation, a destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) mouse model of OA was established to assess cartilage morphology, ferroptosis markers, and histological changes after intra-articular injection of treatments.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>MXene-loading significantly enhanced quercetin's protective effects in IL-1β-induced primary mouse ACs, including improved cell viability and proliferation, reduced apoptosis, alleviated oxidative stress, and suppression of ferroptosis. In OA mice, MXene-quercetin treatment more effectively preserved cartilage integrity and inhibited ferroptosis compared with free quercetin.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These findings suggest that MXene can serve as a biocompatible carrier to improve quercetin delivery in osteoarthritis models, supporting its potential for further preclinical evaluation.</p>","PeriodicalId":14084,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Nanomedicine","volume":"20 ","pages":"11553-11567"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12459629/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Journal of Nanomedicine","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.2147/IJN.S540035","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/1/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"NANOSCIENCE & NANOTECHNOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Introduction: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic joint disease that severely affects patients' quality of life. Quercetin, a natural flavonoid, exhibits chondroprotective effects, though its bioavailability through regular oral consumption is limited. In this study, we employed two-dimensional MXene nanosheets as a nanocarrier to facilitate targeted intracellular delivery of quercetin, aiming to enhance its therapeutic efficacy against OA.
Methods: Methods: Porous Ti₃C₂Tₓ MXene nanosheets were synthesized via selective etching and then loaded with quercetin through physical adsorption. Material characterization was performed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and in vitro release assays. For in vitro evaluation, IL-1β-stimulated primary mouse articular chondrocytes (ACs) were treated with free quercetin or MXene-loaded quercetin, followed by assessments of cell viability, apoptosis, cell cycle progression, migration, oxidative stress markers, and ferroptosis-related protein expression. For in vivo validation, a destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) mouse model of OA was established to assess cartilage morphology, ferroptosis markers, and histological changes after intra-articular injection of treatments.
Results: MXene-loading significantly enhanced quercetin's protective effects in IL-1β-induced primary mouse ACs, including improved cell viability and proliferation, reduced apoptosis, alleviated oxidative stress, and suppression of ferroptosis. In OA mice, MXene-quercetin treatment more effectively preserved cartilage integrity and inhibited ferroptosis compared with free quercetin.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that MXene can serve as a biocompatible carrier to improve quercetin delivery in osteoarthritis models, supporting its potential for further preclinical evaluation.
期刊介绍：
The International Journal of Nanomedicine is a globally recognized journal that focuses on the applications of nanotechnology in the biomedical field. It is a peer-reviewed and open-access publication that covers diverse aspects of this rapidly evolving research area.
With its strong emphasis on the clinical potential of nanoparticles in disease diagnostics, prevention, and treatment, the journal aims to showcase cutting-edge research and development in the field.
Starting from now, the International Journal of Nanomedicine will not accept meta-analyses for publication.
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