Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research ›› 2026, Vol. 30 ›› Issue (22): 5792-5803.doi: 10.12307/2026.180

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Strategies for the application of miRNA-targeted therapy in the treatment of osteoporosis

Wu Lingjie1, Zheng Kaiyuan2, Wang Guangrong1, Yin Chong1, 3    

  1. 1Department of Laboratory Medicine, 2Department of Rehabilitation, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong 637000, Sichuan Province, China; 3Translational Medicine Research Center, School of Laboratory Medicine, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong 637000, Sichuan Province, China
  • Received:2025-06-16 Accepted:2025-08-31 Online:2026-08-08 Published:2025-12-27
  • Contact: Yin Chong, PhD, Associate researcher, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong 637000, Sichuan Province, China; Translational Medicine Research Center, School of Laboratory Medicine, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong 637000, Sichuan Province, China
  • About author:Wu Lingjie, MS candidate, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong 637000, Sichuan Province, China
  • Supported by:
    National Natural Science Foundation of China (Youth Project), No. 32000924 (to YC); Sichuan Provincial Natural Science Foundation (Youth Project), No. 23NSFSC6012 (to YC); 2022 Best Candidate Project of North Sichuan Medical College Affiliated Hospital, No. 2022JB007 (to YC) 

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that miRNAs, as important post-transcriptional regulators of genes, play a key role in the onset and progression of osteoporosis. Through in-depth research on the biology of miRNA regulation of osteoporosis, its potential healing mechanisms have been revealed, and this field has become a hot focus of current research.
OBJECTIVE: To explore the regulatory role of miRNAs in the development of osteoporosis and their molecular mechanisms, and to provide an overview of the key difficulties encountered in the therapeutic strategies for osteoporosis targeting miRNAs and their solutions.
METHODS: We searched PubMed, Web of Science and CNKI databases for relevant literature published up to March 2025. The search terms were “miRNA, osteoporosis, angiogenesis, osteogenesis, gene therapy, drug delivery” in English and “miRNA, osteoporosis, gene therapy, ribonucleic acid drugs, delivery carrier” in Chinese. After reading the titles and abstracts for preliminary screening, we excluded the literature with poor relevance, old information, or repetitive views and lack of authority, and finally included 138 papers for review.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) miRNAs are highly efficient non-coding RNAs with a wide range of applications that can precisely regulate cellular activities, and they show significant therapeutic potential in regulating osteoblast function and bone angiogenesis, which are potentially valuable in the treatment of osteoporosis. (2) Although miRNA-based targeted therapeutics have entered the preclinical research stage in other disease areas, they still face the challenges of insufficient in vivo stability of nucleic acids and off-target effects during clinical translation. (3) In response to the challenges faced by miRNA therapeutics, researchers have proposed a variety of strategies, including precise positioning of the target genes of miRNAs to reduce off-target effects; chemical modification to improve the stability of nucleic acid drugs in vivo; reducing the cost of nucleic acid production to advance the research; and optimizing the delivery pathways of nucleic acid drugs by using viral vectors, exosomes, and various types of biomaterials. (4) Advances in technology continue to drive innovation in improving the performance of nucleic acid drug carriers, ultimately achieving precise and efficient drug delivery and targeted therapeutic effects.

Key words: osteoporosis, miRNAs, osteoblasts, osteoclasts, nucleic acid drugs, nanoparticles

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