microRNA-146a regulates bone metabolism and its application in bone tissue engineering

doi:10.12307/2026.752

Abstract

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Normal bone metabolism relies on the balance between osteoblast-mediated bone formation and osteoclast-mediated bone resorption. Disruption of this balance can lead to bone metabolism-related diseases. MicroRNA-146a is a non-coding small RNA molecule that plays a crucial role in bone metabolism.
OBJECTIVE: To review the molecular mechanisms by which microRNA-146a regulates bone metabolism and its applications in bone tissue engineering.
METHODS: In April 2025, the authors conducted a search of relevant literature published from January 2000 to April 2025 in the CNKI, PubMed, and Web of Science databases. The search terms used in Chinese included microRNA-146a, bone, bone metabolism, osteoblast, osteoclast, and bone tissue regeneration. The English search terms were microRNA-146a, bone metabolism, osteoblast, osteoclast, and bone regeneration. There is no restriction on the type of retrieved liter ature. A total of 11 230 documents were retrieved, comprising 988 Chinese documents from CNKI, 5 952 English documents from PubMed, and 4 290 English documents from Web of Science. The included literature focused on the process of bone metabolism and its influential factors, the regulation of bone metabolism by microRNA-146a, the biological behavior of key cells involved in bone metabolism, and the application of microRNA-146a in maintaining bone homeostasis and promoting bone tissue repair and regeneration. Literature with low relevance to the topic, outdated content, inadequate experimental design, poor credibility of research results, and insufficient argumentation were excluded. Based on the eligibility criteria, 90 articles closely related to the theme of this review—characterized by novel research, authentic and reliable data, sufficient argumentation, and clinical application value—were included in the final analysis.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: (1) MicroRNA-146a can inhibit the formation and activity of osteoblasts by suppressing the expression of genes such as Wnt, Smad4, and silencing information regulator 2-related enzyme 1. It can also inhibit the formation of osteoclasts by suppressing the expression of genes such as tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6 and interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 1. Additionally, it can regulate the interaction between osteoblasts and osteoclasts. (2) Abnormal expression of microRNA-146a can lead to dysfunction in osteoblasts and osteoclasts, disrupt the balance of bone metabolism, and induce osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, periodontitis, and other bone metabolism-related diseases. (3) MicroRNA-146a may serve as a potential target for the diagnosis and treatment of bone metabolism-related diseases, offering promising applications in the treatment of bone metabolism-related diseases and in bone tissue engineering.

Key words: microRNA-146a, bone metabolism, bone metabolism diseases, osteoblast, osteoclast, inflammation, bone tissue regeneration, bone tissue engineering

CLC Number:

Li Jiayin, Sui Lei, Li Yanjing. microRNA-146a regulates bone metabolism and its application in bone tissue engineering[J]. Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research, 2026, 30(18): 4702-4712.

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