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Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Microhardness Measurements on Tooth and Alveolar Bone in Rodent Oral Disease Models
Published on: April 26, 2024
Nanostructural materials increase mineralization in bone cells and affect gene expression through miRNA regulation
Meena Mahmood1, Zhiguang Li, Daniel Casciano
1University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Nanotechnology Center, Applied Science Department, Little Rock, AR 72204, USA.
Abstract:
We report that several nanomaterials induced enhanced mineralization (increased numbers and larger areas of mineral nests) in MC3T3-E1 bone cells, with the highest response being induced by silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). We demonstrate that AgNPs altered microRNA expression resulting in specific gene expression associated with bone formation. We suggest that the identified essential transcriptional factors and bone morphogenetic proteins play an important role in activation of the process of mineralization in bone cells exposed to AgNPs.
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