MicroRNA-21a-5p-modified macrophage exosomes as natural nanocarriers promote bone regeneration by targeting GATA2

Xin Luo; Chunxiu Meng; Yujue Zhang; Qicui Du; Caiyao Hou; Huifen Qiang; Kun Liu; Zhaoyong Lv; Jun Li; Fengzhen Liu

doi:10.1093/rb/rbad075

MicroRNA-21a-5p-modified macrophage exosomes as natural nanocarriers promote bone regeneration by targeting GATA2

Regen Biomater. 2023 Aug 31:10:rbad075. doi: 10.1093/rb/rbad075. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Xin Luo¹, Chunxiu Meng¹, Yujue Zhang¹, Qicui Du¹, Caiyao Hou², Huifen Qiang², Kun Liu¹, Zhaoyong Lv¹, Jun Li¹, Fengzhen Liu¹

Affiliations

¹ Biomaterials Laboratory, Liaocheng People's Hospital, Liaocheng Hospital affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Liaocheng 252000, China.
² Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China.

Abstract

Bone immune responses based on macrophages are critical in the osteogenesis of bone abnormalities. In general, M2 macrophage facilitate the promotion of osteogenesis, as well, M1 macrophage play an important role in early bone healing, as confirmed by previous studies. However, it is not clear how M1 macrophage are involved in the bone immune response. MiR-21a-5p is a highly expressed microRNA in M1 macrophage in contrast to M2. Therefore, the current work sought to ascertain the influence of M1 macrophage on bone healing via exosomal miR-21a-5p and the probable mechanism. We discovered that injecting M1 macrophage exosomes overexpressing miR-21a-5p into bone defect locations enhanced bone regeneration in vivo. Furthermore, by directly targeting GATA2, miR-21a-5p accelerated MC3T3-E1 osteogenic differentiation. Our findings showed that exosomal miR-21a-5p from M1 macrophage may be transported to osteoblasts and target GATA2 to enhance bone defect healing.

Keywords: GATA2; bone regeneration; exosomes; macrophages; miR-21a-5p.