Functionalized Chinese Medicine-Derived Quercetin Carbon Dots for the Treatment of Osteoporosis

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) compound formulas are widely employed in the clinical management of osteoporosis; however, their principal bioactive constituents and primary molecular targets remain poorly characterized. Consequently, there is an urgent need for systematic functional exploration of TCM-derived chemicals. In this study, we applied a network pharmacology-based approach to screen four canonical TCM compound prescriptions for antiosteoporotic compounds, identifying a total of 20 candidate molecules. Among these, quercetin was selected as a lead compound for the synthesis of biologically active carbon dots (CDs), which were then integrated with mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) to construct a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive nanocarrier system. In vitro cellular assays demonstrated that both the quercetin-derived CDs and the drug-loaded nanocarriers exhibited excellent cytocompatibility, robust osteogenic-promoting activity, and potent osteoclast-inhibitory effects. Collectively, our findings underscore the utility of network pharmacology in identifying quercetin as a promising TCM-derived lead compound for osteoporosis intervention, and the rational functionalization strategy developed herein provides a valuable paradigm for advancing the therapeutic application of TCM-derived chemicals in bone metabolic disorders.