Engineered Bone Tissue with Naturally-Derived Small Molecules

Abstract

Natural products remain the best resources of drugs and drug leads. Recently, there is growing recognition that identifying new small molecules to promote bone regeneration is a laudable translational goal. In fact, new approaches for bone repair and regeneration that involve inexpensive naturally-derived compounds would have an important impact on the treatment of bone disorders and injuries. Over the past several decades, a number of naturally-derived small molecules with the potential of regenerating bone tissue (i.e. osteoinductive) have been reported in the literature. Here, we review the current literature, paying attention to the prospects for natural small molecule-based bone regenerative engineering. We also review various delivery strategies of the selected naturally- derived small molecules for bone regenerative engineering applications.

Bioactive natural compounds as potential medications for osteogenic effects in a molecular docking approach

“…They have attracted much attention because of their wide sources, low toxicity, and high utility ( Newman and Cragg, 2020 ). A variety of natural compounds, including icariin, have been found to have osteogenic effects ( Awale et al, 2017 ; Shi et al, 2022 ).…”

Small molecule-mediated regenerative engineering for craniofacial and dentoalveolar bone

“…At this time, there are many small molecule drugs that have already been awarded FDA approval following subjection to numerous trials for safety and efficacy assurance ( De la Torre and Albericio, 2020 ). Notably, a vast majority of these small molecular agents also incur relatively low preparation costs, are easier to control, and can be conveniently synthesized in a lab or sourced from natural origins like plants and fruits ( Awale et al, 2017 ). Through extensive in vitro and in vivo surveying of multiple biofactors and miniscule healing agents, the utility of small molecules in the regeneration of craniofacial and dentoalveolar tissues has become abundantly apparent and helped spur newfound hope for a better standard of care ( Rodríguez-Méndez et al, 2018 ; Aghali, 2021 ; Emara and Shah, 2021 ) ( Figures 1 , 2 ).…”

Bilayer Membrane Composed of Mineralized Collagen and Chitosan Cast Film Coated With Berberine-Loaded PCL/PVP Electrospun Nanofiber Promotes Bone Regeneration

“…The osteoinductive activity of electrospun nanofibers can be enhanced by the addition of growth factors or natural small molecules. Growth factors are costly to produce and have low stability ( Haidar et al, 2009 ; Awale et al, 2017 ), and there are unknown risks associated with the application of doses that far exceed physiologic concentrations ( Wozney, 1992 ). Berberine (BER) is a monomer used in Chinese herbal medicine to treat various diseases including bone defects and osteoporosis ( Olivares-Navarrete et al, 2012 ; Tao et al, 2016 ; Wong et al, 2020 ; Ma et al, 2021 ).…”