Editorial: Integrative Pharmacological Approaches for Regenerating Cartilage and Bone Tissue

Jiahui Tan¹Jie Fang²Wen Liao²Lufei Wang^1*

• ¹College of Stomatology, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
• ²West China School of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

The destruction of cartilage and bone tissue-whether due to injury, degeneration, or disease-presents a significant clinical challenge that can severely impact mobility, function, and overall quality of life (Guo et al., 2023;Diaz-Solano et al., 2024).Conditions such as osteoarthritis (OA), osteoporosis, and fractures pose formidable obstacles due to the inherent limitations in the self-repair mechanisms of these tissues.Cartilage, being avascular, has a limited capacity for nutrient delivery and immune cell mobilization, which significantly diminishes its regenerative potential. While bone tissue is more metabolically active, its integration with surrounding tissues may be compromised by limited vascularization and slow healing.To address these challenges, researchers have increasingly turned to integrative pharmacological approaches that include bioactive agents, growth factors, and stem cells to boost tissue regeneration (Adamička et al., 2021;Liao et al., 2024). These strategies aim to enhance healing by stimulating cellular activity, promoting repair, and improving tissue integration. Additionally, advances in tissue engineering and 3D printing are helping to create scaffolds and implants that support the regeneration of cartilage and bone (Gugliandolo et al., 2021;Wang et al., 2024). These developments offer promising avenues for more effective treatment options. This research topic on "Integrative Pharmacological Approaches for Regenerating Cartilage and Bone Tissue" features 10 impactful studies, which consist of 4 original research articles, 3 critical reviews, 2 bibliometric analyses, and 1 meta-analysis, providing a comprehensive overview of diverse therapeutic strategies for regenerating cartilage or bone tissue. The contributions cover pharmacological interventions, innovative biomaterials, and advancements in stem cell therapy.Four studies within this topic focus on osteoarthritis (OA). Gao et al. demonstrated that age-related endoplasmic reticulum stress triggers YAP overexpression, which in turn leads to chondrocyte phenotype loss and OA progression. Their findings further revealed that treatment with pamrevlumab can alleviate these deleterious effects in cartilage-specific YAP overexpression transgenic mice, suggesting the therapeutic potential of targeting the endoplasmic reticulum stress-YAP-CTGF signaling pathway.In another study, a bibliometric analysis conducted by Zhang et al. highlighted the growing importance of extracellular vesicles in OA research. The analysis revealed significant contributions from China, the USA, and Italy. The most frequently occurring keywords were "exosome," "expression," "knee OA," "extracellular vesicle," "mesenchymal stem cell," and "inflammation." These insights point toward the potential of extracellular vesicles as novel agents for OA treatment. Yang et al. reviewed the properties of stimuli-responsive biomaterials, which can alter their mechanical characteristics, shape, or drug release profile in response to external or internal triggers. These materials have become increasingly significant in bone regeneration applications, representing a transformative approach to biomedical engineering that holds promise for future clinical innovations.Liu et al. reviewed the effects of metformin-a widely used anti-diabetic drugon mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The drug was found to promote MSC proliferation, differentiation, and resistance to aging, suggesting that metformin could enhance the therapeutic potential of MSCs in various regenerative contexts. This study highlights the pivotal role of cell therapy in the field of regenerative medicine.