Preparation and in vitro Synergistic Osteogenic-promoting Effect of Puerarin/Mesoporous Bioactive Glass Composites

doi:10.15541/jim20250433

Abstract

Abstract:

Bone defects caused by trauma, infection, or osteoporosis pose significant clinical challenges. Developing bioactive materials that effectively promote bone regeneration is particularly important. In this study, mesoporous bioactive glass (MBG) was prepared via the Sol-Gel method, and puerarin (Pue)-loaded MBG (Pue/MBG) composites were constructed through physical adsorption. The results show that the prepared MBG exhibits a high specific surface area and an ordered mesoporous structure, successfully achieving Pue loading and sustained release. In vitro experiments demonstrate that Pue/MBG composites effectively promote the proliferation of mouse embryonic osteoblast precursor cells and rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, while enhancing their osteogenic differentiation capabilities. This is evidenced by increased early-stage alkaline phosphatase activity and enhanced late-stage mineralization nodule formation. In conclusion, this study successfully develops an efficient bone-repair composite material based on the synergistic effect of Pue and MBG, with its excellent osteogenic capacity showing promising applications in bone tissue engineering.

Key words: mesoporous bioactive glass, puerarin, osteogenic differentiation, sustained-release, biocompatibility

CLC Number:

R318

XU Ming, WANG Yuanfei, WU Tong. Preparation and in vitro Synergistic Osteogenic-promoting Effect of Puerarin/Mesoporous Bioactive Glass Composites[J]. Journal of Inorganic Materials, 2026, 41(7): 983-992.

Figures/Tables 11

Fig. 1 Preparation and osteogenic-promoting mechanism of Pue/MBG composites RT: room temperature

Fig. 2 Surface morphology and particle size analysis of MBG and Pue/MBG (a, b) Digital photos of (a) MBG and (b) Pue/MBG; (c, d) SEM images of (c) MBG and (d) Pue/MBG; (e, f) TEM images of (e) MBG and (f) Pue/MBG; (g, h) Particle size distribution diagrams of (g) MBG and (h) Pue/MBG

Fig. 3 (a) N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms and (b) corresponding pore size distributions of MBG and Pue/MBG

Table 1 Specific surface area and mesoporous analysis of MBG and Pue/MBG

Sample	BET surface area/(m²·g⁻¹)	Pore volume/ (cm³·g⁻¹)	BJH pore size/nm
MBG	373.28	0.70	12.93
Pue/MBG	151.02	0.45	8.84

Fig. 4 XRD patterns of MBG and Pue/MBG (a) Wide-angle XRD pattern of MBG; (b) Small-angle XRD patterns of MBG and Pue/MBG; (c) Enlarged view of rectangular region in Fig. (b)

Fig. 5 EDS analysis of (a, b) MBG and (c, d) Pue/MBG (a, c) EDS elemental mappings; (b, d) EDS point spectra

Fig. 6 FT-IR spectra of Pue, MBG and Pue/MBG

Table 2 Drug loading capacity, drug loading rate, and encapsulation efficiency of Pue/MBG

Sample	DLC/μg	DLR/%	EE/%
Pue/MBG	338.38±16.05	33.84±1.61	9.02±0.43

Fig. 7 Drug release curve of Pue/MBG

Fig. 8 In vitro biocompatibility evaluation of Pue/MBG (a, c) Cell viability assay of (a) MC3T3-E1 and (c) rBMSCs; (b, d) Cell morphology staining of (b) MC3T3-E1 and (d) rBMSCs. Colorful figures are available on website

Fig. 9 Osteogenic differentiation effects of Pue/MBG (a) ALP activity assay and (b) ALP staining images on 7 days; (c) ARS quantitative analysis and (d) ARS staining images on 14 days. Colorful figures are available on website

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