M1 macrophage-targeted glucose-functionalized nanoparticles for berberine delivery and inflammatory microenvironment remodeling in osteoarthritis therapy.

ABSTRACT: The inflammatory microenvironment mediated by synovial macrophages, particularly the pro-inflammatory M1 subtype, plays a central role in OA progression and represents a critical therapeutic target. However, delivery strategies that enable efficient and selective targeting of M1 macrophages for modulating the inflammatory microenvironment are still limited. To address this challenge, we developed a glucose-functionalized nanoparticle system (Ber-MNPs) to deliver berberine directly to pro-inflammatory M1 subtype macrophages-via GLUT1-mediated targeting, thereby modulating the inflammatory microenvironment to alleviate OA progression. The Ber-MNPs exhibited excellent targeting specificity toward M1 macrophages in vitro. In addition, Ber-MNPs can suppress macrophage polarization toward

SUBMITTER: Sheng W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12596536 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature