Treatment of osteoporosis with a modified zeolite shows beneficial effects in an osteoporotic rat model and a human clinical trial

Functionalized zeolite regulates bone metabolic microenvironment

The regulation of bone metabolic microenvironment imbalances in diseases such as osteoporosis, bone defects, infections, and tumors remains a significant challenge in orthopedics. Therefore, it has become urgent to develop biomaterials with effective bone metabolic microenvironmental regulatory functions. Zeolites, as advanced biomedical materials, possess distinctive physicochemical properties such as multi-level pore structures, adjustable frameworks, easily modifiable surfaces, and excellent adsorption capabilities. These advantageous characteristics give zeolites broad application prospects in regulating the bone metabolic microenvironment. Therefore, this paper first classifies zeolites used to regulate the bone metabolic microenvironment based on their topological structures and compositional frameworks. Subsequently, it provides a detailed description of modification strategies for zeolite materials aimed at regulating this microenvironment. Next, a comprehensive summary was provided on the preparation strategies for zeolite materials aimed at regulating the bone metabolic microenvironment. Additionally, the paper focuses on the specific applications of zeolite materials in conditions of bone metabolic imbalance, such as osteoporosis, bone defects, orthopedic infections, and bone tumors, highlighting their potential in enhancing osteogenic microenvironments, controlling infections, and treating bone tumors. Finally, it outlines the prospects and challenges associated with the application of zeolites in regulating the bone metabolic microenvironment. This review comprehensively summarizes zeolites used for bone metabolic regulation, aiming to provide guidance for future research and application development.

Effect of precise health management combined with physical rehabilitation on bone biomarkers in senile osteoporosis patients

This study delves into the impact of precise health management coupled with physical rehabilitation on bone biomarkers in elderly patients with osteoporosis. Two hundred and forty individuals diagnosed with senile osteoporosis were randomly assigned to either the observation group (precision health management group, n = 120) or the control group (routine health management group, n = 120). Patients in the control group received standard health care, while those in the observation group received personalized health care along with physical therapy. Pain levels (assessed by VAS score), understanding of osteoporosis, confidence in managing osteoporosis, bone density, and biochemical markers of bone metabolism were compared between the groups at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months before and after the intervention. Following the intervention, the observation group exhibited significantly reduced VAS values and PTH levels at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Additionally, scores on the Osteoporosis Knowledge Scale, Osteoporosis Self-Efficacy Scale, bone mineral density (BMD), ALP levels, and calcium levels were significantly higher in the observation group compared to the control group (P < 0.05). The integration of precise health monitoring with tailored physical therapy shows substantial efficacy in reducing pain among elderly individuals suffering from osteoporosis. Moreover, it empowers them in managing their health effectively, while also contributing to increased BMD and improved bone biomarker levels. This holistic approach merits recommendation for clinical implementation and warrants further investigation through rigorous study.

Enhancing the bioavailability and activity of natural antioxidants with nanobubbles and nanoparticles

KEY POLICY HIGHLIGHTSNanobubbles and nanoparticles may enhance the polyphenols' bioavailabilityNanobubbles may stimulate the activation of Nrf2 and detox enzymesArmoured oxygen nanobubbles may enhance radiotherapy or chemotherapy effects.

PMA-Zeolite: Chemistry and Diverse Medical Applications

Numerous scientific studies have been conducted in recent decades with the aim to study targeted application of zeolites in various industries, ecology, agronomy and medicine. The biggest advances, however, have been documented in medical and veterinary research of the natural zeolite, clinoptilolite. Although the exact biological mechanisms of action of the zeolite clinoptilolite are not completely elucidated, obtained results point to its antioxidative, immunomodulatory and detoxifying effects, the latter partially based on release of soluble and bioavailable silica forms from the surface material. The studied zeolite clinoptilolite materials have different geographical origins which confer to the physicochemical differences in the material. In addition, the production process of the material for oral applications differs between different producers which also accounts for different properties of the surface upon mechanical activation. Recently, a well-characterized zeolite clinoptilolite material, namely the PMA-zeolite, has been tested in different clinical applications and has shown potential as supportive therapy in inflammatory conditions, osteoporosis as well as during tumor chemotherapy. We accordingly present a comprehensive review of the PMA-zeolite effects in the clinical applications and discuss its probable mechanisms of effect in vivo.

Study of zeolite clinoptilolite d-glucose adsorption properties in vitro and in vivo

Beneficial effects of a natural zeolite clinoptilolite in vivo on mammals, including humans, have been empirically observed and documented in literature. The positive biological activities have been associated to its detoxifying and antioxidative properties, and its immunostimulative and adsorption properties. Herein, we present the in vitro and in vivo study of clinoptilolite zeolite materials adsorption properties for d-glucose. In particular, we present data on the interaction of d-glucose on the tested zeolites' surface obtained by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and quantification by ultra high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC). We also present results on the reduction of blood glucose levels in mice pre-treated with clinoptilolite in vivo upon feeding with d-glucose. In vivo results were in line with the in vitro adsorption and/or interaction properties of tested zeolite materials for d-glucose and were quantified by UHPLC as well (11.34% for TMAZ; 10.82% for PMA and 8.76% for PMAO2). In vivo experiments in mice showed that PMA zeolite reduces blood glucose levels upon 15 min for 13% (at p < 0.05) up to 19.11% upon 120 min (without statistical significance) in clinoptilolite pre-treated mice fed by addition of d-glucose. Due to lack of explicit mechanistic knowledge on zeolite clinoptilolite interactions or adsorption with sugars in vitro and in vivo, presented study provides novel insights into these aspects for researchers in the field. The presented data merit further investigations as the material clearly shows a potential in management of hyperglycemia, such as for example in obese people, people with diabetes and people with metabolic syndrome where it could help regulate blood glucose levels.

Nanoparticles in Medicine: Current Status in Cancer Treatment

Cancer is still a leading cause of deaths worldwide, especially due to those cases diagnosed at late stages with metastases that are still considered untreatable and are managed in such a way that a lengthy chronic state is achieved. Nanotechnology has been acknowledged as one possible solution to improve existing cancer treatments, but also as an innovative approach to developing new therapeutic solutions that will lower systemic toxicity and increase targeted action on tumors and metastatic tumor cells. In particular, the nanoparticles studied in the context of cancer treatment include organic and inorganic particles whose role may often be expanded into diagnostic applications. Some of the best studied nanoparticles include metallic gold and silver nanoparticles, quantum dots, polymeric nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes and graphene, with diverse mechanisms of action such as, for example, the increased induction of reactive oxygen species, increased cellular uptake and functionalization properties for improved targeted delivery. Recently, novel nanoparticles for improved cancer cell targeting also include nanobubbles, which have already demonstrated increased localization of anticancer molecules in tumor tissues. In this review, we will accordingly present and discuss state-of-the-art nanoparticles and nano-formulations for cancer treatment and limitations for their application in a clinical setting.

Zeolites as Ingredients of Medicinal Products

Development of new medicinal products for particular therapeutic treatment or for better manipulations with better quality and less side effects are possible as a result of advanced inorganic and organic materials application, among which zeolites, due to their properties and versatility, have been gaining attention. This paper is an overview of the development in the use of zeolite materials and their composites and modifications as medicinal products for several purposes such as active agents, carriers, for topical treatments, oral formulations, anticancer, the composition of theragnostic systems, vaccines, parenteral dosage forms, tissue engineering, etc. The objective of this review is to explore the main properties of zeolites and associate them with their drug interaction, mainly addressing the advances and studies related to the use of zeolites for different types of treatments due to their zeolite characteristics such as molecule storage capacity, physical and chemical stability, cation exchange capacity, and possibility of functionalization. The use of computational tools to predict the drug-zeolite interaction is also explored. As conclusion was possible to realize the possibilities and versatility of zeolite applications as being able to act in several aspects of medicinal products.

Therapeutic Potential of Zeolites/Vitamin B12 Nanocomposite on Complete Freund's Adjuvant-Induced Arthritis as a Bone Disorder: In Vivo Study and Bio-Molecular Investigations

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disease. As nanotechnology has advanced, a growing number of nanodrugs have been used in the treatment of RA due to their unique physical and chemical properties. The purpose of this study was to assess the therapeutic potential of a novel zeolite/vitamin B12 nanocomposite (Nano ZT/Vit B12) formulation in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced arthritis. The newly synthesized Nano ZT/Vit B12 was fully characterized using various techniques such as XRD, FT-IR, BET analysis, HERTEM, SEM, practical size, zeta potential, XRF, and EDX. The anti-arthritic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities as well as the immunomodulation effect of Nano ZT/Vit B12 on the CFA rat model of arthritis were examined. Histopathologic ankle joint injuries caused by CFA intrapedal injection included synovium hyperplasia, inflammatory cell infiltration, and extensive cartilage deterioration. The arthritic rats' Nano ZT/Vit B12 supplementation significantly improved these effects. Furthermore, in arthritic rats, Nano ZT/Vit B12 significantly reduced serum levels of RF and CRP, as well as the levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-17, and ADAMTS-5, while increasing IL-4 and TIMP-3 levels. Nano-ZT/Vit B12 significantly declined the LPO level and increased antioxidant activities, such as GSH content and GST activity, in the arthritic rats. In arthritic rats, Nano ZT/Vit B12 also reduced TGF-β mRNA gene expression and MMP-13 protein levels. Collectively, Nano ZT/Vit B12 seems to have anti-arthritic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties, making it a promising option for RA in the future.

The Impact of Long-Term Clinoptilolite Administration on the Concentration Profile of Metals in Rodent Organisms

Heavy metals are dangerous systemic toxicants that can induce multiple organ damage, primarily by inducing oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage. Clinoptilolite is a highly porous natural mineral with a magnificent capacity to eliminate metals from living organisms, mainly by ion-exchange and adsorption, thus providing detoxifying, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory medicinal effects. The in vivo efficiency and safety of the oral administration of clinoptilolite in its activated forms, tribomechanically activated zeolite (TMAZ) and Panaceo-Micro-Activated (PMA) zeolite, as well as the impact on the metallic biodistribution, was examined in healthy female rats. Concentration profiles of Al, As, Cd, Co, Pb, Ni and Sr were measured in rat blood, serum, femur, liver, kidney, small and large intestine, and brain using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after a 12-week administration period. Our results point to a beneficial effect of clinoptilolite materials on the concentration profile of metals in female rats supplemented with the corresponding natural clinoptilolite materials, TMAZ and PMA zeolite. The observed decrease of measured toxicants in the kidney, femur, and small and large intestine after three months of oral intake occurred concomitantly with their most likely transient release into the bloodstream (serum) indicative of a detoxification process.

Zeolites: A series of promising biomaterials in bone tissue engineering

As an important worldwide medical issue, bone defect exhibits a variety of physical and psychological consequences on sufferers. Some features of clinical treatments including bone grafting and limb shortening are not satisfactory. Recently, bone tissue engineering has been considered as the most effective approach to dealing with the issue of bone deformities. Meanwhile, a variety of biomaterials have been rationally designed and created for the bone regeneration and tissue repairing. Among all these admirable biomaterials for bone remodeling, zeolite-based materials can serve as efficient scaffold candidates with excellent osteo-inductivity. In addition, the porous nature and high biocompatibility of zeolites endow them with the ability as ideal substrates for cell adhesion and proliferation. More importantly, zeolites are investigated as potential coating materials for implants because they have been proven to increase osteo-conductivity and aid in local elastic modeling. Last but not least, zeolites can also be used to treat bone disorders and act as dietary supplements during the practical applications. Accordingly, numerous benefits of zeolite prompt us to summarize their recent biomedical progress including but not limited to the distinguishing characteristics, broad classifications, as well as promising usages in bone tissue engineering.

Clinical Parameters in Osteoporosis Patients Supplemented With PMA-Zeolite at the End of 5-Year Double-Blinded Clinical Trial

Osteoporosis is among the most common pathologies. Associated complications in osteoporotic patients, in particular hip fractures and vertebral fractures, cause disabilities and significant quality of life deterioration. Standard treatment of osteoporosis, based on pharmacotherapy does still not yield adequate results, and the problem of osteoporosis remains incompletely solved. Additionally, adverse drug events and fractures after long-termed pharmacotherapy pose additional challenges within designing a proper therapy regimen. Improved clinical approach and new synergistic treatment modalities are consequently still needed. The rationale of the presented study was accordingly, to expand our preclinical animal study on human patients with osteoporosis, based on positive effects on bones observed in animals with osteopenia treated with PMA-zeolite. We specifically monitored effects of PMA-zeolite on the bone quality parameters, fracture risk and quality of life in a cohort of initially recruited 100 osteoporosis patients during a follow-up period of 5 years within a randomized, placebo-controlled and double blinded clinical study (TOP study). Obtained results provide evidence on the PMA-zeolite positive effects on the bone strength of osteoporotic patients as the risk of fractures was significantly decreased in PMA-zeolite-treated patients with respect to time before entering the study (p = 0.002). Statistical evidence point also to positive bone changes in the 5-years TOP study course as evidenced through osteocalcin and beta-cross laps values showing a prevalence of the bone-formation process (p &lt; 0.05). BMD values were not significantly affected after the 5-years follow-up in PMA-zeolite-treated patients in comparison with the Placebo group. Results support the initial expectations based on our previously published preclinical studies on clinoptilolite product PMA-zeolite in animals that could be a new therapeutic option in osteoporosis patients.

Clinical Evaluation of a Defined Zeolite-Clinoptilolite Supplementation Effect on the Selected Blood Parameters of Patients

The natural clinoptilolite material is an inorganic crystal mineral called zeolite. It has been extensively studied and used in industrial applications and veterinary and human medicine due to positive effects on health. Limited data is available in the scientific literature about its effects on the levels of physiologically relevant minerals in the human organism. Accordingly, we performed a comprehensive and controlled monitoring of the relevant mineral and contaminants levels in human subjects supplemented with a certified clinoptilolite material within three clinical trials with different supplementation regimens. Effects of a registered and certified clinoptilolite material PMA-zeolite on selected mineral and metal levels were determined by standard biochemical methods and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in the blood of subjects enrolled in three clinical trials: short-term (28 days, Mineral Metabolism and selected Blood Parameters study MMBP), medium-term (12 weeks, Morbus Crohn study), and long-term (4 years, Osteoporosis TOP study) supplementation. Lower concentrations were observed for copper (Cu) in patients with osteoporosis, which normalized again in the long-term supplementation trial, whereas sodium (Na) and calcium (Ca) levels diminished below the reference values in patients with osteoporosis. In the short- and long-term supplementation trials, increased levels of lead (Pb) were observed in PMA-zeolite-supplemented subjects, which decreased in the continued long-term supplementation trial. Increased levels of aluminum (Al) or Pb attributable to eventual leakage from the material into the bloodstream were not detected 1 h after intake in the short-term supplementation trial. Nickel (Ni) and Al were statistically significantly decreased upon long-term 4-year supplementation within the long-term supplementation trial, and arsenic (As) was statistically significantly decreased upon 12-weeks supplementation in the medium-term trial. Alterations in the measured levels for Na and Ca, as well as for Pb, in the long-term trial are probably attributable to the bone remodeling process. Checking the balance of the minerals Cu, Ca, and Na after 1 year of supplementation might be prescribed for PMA-supplemented patients with osteoporosis.

Clinical Trial Registration

[https://clinicaltrials.gov], identifiers [NCT03901989, NCT05178719, NCT04370535, NCT04607018].

Soft X-ray Microscopy Techniques for Medical and Biological Imaging at TwinMic—Elettra

Progress in nanotechnology calls for material probing techniques of high sensitivity and resolution. Such techniques are also used for high-impact studies of nanoscale materials in medicine and biology. Soft X-ray microscopy has been successfully used for investigating complex biological processes occurring at micrometric and sub-micrometric length scales and is one of the most powerful tools in medicine and the life sciences. Here, we present the capabilities of the TwinMic soft X-ray microscopy end-station at the Elettra synchrotron in the context of medical and biological imaging, while we also describe novel uses and developments.

In Silico Network Analysis of Ingredients of Cornus officinalis in Osteoporosis

BACKGROUND Cornus officinalis (CO), also known as 'Shanzhuyu', is one of the most common traditional Chinese herbs used against osteoporosis. Although previous studies have found that CO has beneficial effects in alleviating osteoporosis, its mechanisms remain unclear. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this study, we applied system bioinformatic approaches to investigate the possible therapeutic mechanisms of CO against osteoporosis. We collected the active ingredients of CO and their targets from the TCMSP, BATMAN-TCM, and ETCM databases. Next, we obtained the osteoporosis targets from differentially expressed mRNAs from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) gene series (GSE35958). Next, the shared genes of the CO pharmacological targets and osteoporosis-related targets were selected to construct the protein-protein interaction network, based on the results from the STRING database. Subsequently, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were carried out by using the clusterProfiler package in R software. RESULTS In all, there were 58 unique CO compounds and 518 therapeutic targets. Based on the GO and KEGG enrichment results of 98 common genes, we selected the top 25 terms, based on the terms' P values. We found that the anti-osteoporotic effect of CO may mostly involve the regulation of calcium metabolism and reactive oxygen species, and the estrogen signaling pathway and osteoclast differentiation pathway. CONCLUSIONS We found the possible mechanisms of CO in treating osteoporosis may be based on multiple targets and pathways. We also provided a theoretical basis and promising direction for investigating the exact anti-osteoporotic mechanisms of CO.