Berberine-Loaded Mesoporous Bioactive Glass Enhances Bone Repair through Combined Immunomodulatory and Osteogenic...

Bone repair is dependent on both local inflammatory control and osteogenic activity. In this study, berberine-loaded mesoporous bioactive glass (BG) nanoparticles (BG@Ber) were prepared to combine the osteogenic properties of mesoporous BG with the anti-inflammatory activity of berberine. The results showed that berberine was successfully loaded into the mesoporous glass without changing its amorphous structure and could be released over time. BG@Ber also showed good hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility in vitro. Compared with BG alone, BG@Ber showed a stronger regulatory effect on macrophage responses and further promoted osteogenic differentiation and mineralization in vitro. In a rat femoral condyle defect model, BG@Ber resulted in better bone formation and osseointegration with no obvious pathological abnormalities in major organs. Overall, berberine loading improved the biological performance of the mesoporous BG and was associated with better bone repair in vivo.