Polymeric and macromolecular nanotherapeutics for bone repair

Abstract

Nanotechnology has emerged as a novel strategy for bone tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, offering creative potential to improve bone healing, treat bone infections, and manage bone cancer. This review aims to summarize the range of developments in nanotechnology for bone regeneration. The review discusses the use of several types of nanoparticles, including metal, polymer, and ceramic nanoparticles. These nanoparticles can, for example, encourage osteogenesis, deliver therapeutic agents, or conduct cellular-level targeting. It will also explore the use of nanobiotechnology for drug delivery, using nano-vehicles, such as liposomes, niosomes, and exosomes, for their biocompatibility, drug-loadings and therapeutic uses for bone repair, bone infections, and even bone cancers. Further, the review will include advancements in new technologies, such as 3D printing with nanomaterials and microfluidic systems for creating biomimetic scaffolds and high-throughput platforms for bone tissue modelling. Overall, we believe these nanotechnological approaches may offer attractive ways to address the complex issues of bone regeneration in both clinical and experimental paradigms.