Musculoskeletal organoids-on-chip uncover muscle–bone communication under intermittent hypoxia

Muscle and bone have intimate biochemical associations spatiotemporally. Yet, the muscle-bone dynamic alterations under intermittent hypoxia (IH) remain unclear, primarily due to the lack of suitable microphysiological models. Herein, we developed a novel musculoskeletal organoids-on-chip (MSK OoC), advancing an integrated study of muscle-bone biochemical communication and personalized interventional strategies. Within this MSK OoC, muscle organoids (MOs) replicate <i>in vivo</i> micro-architecture, while bone organoids mimic both the formation and remodeling processes. Utilizing MSK OoC, we discovered that IH-induced muscle pathology suppressed osteogenesis but stimulated osteoclastogenesis. The mitochondria protein Sirt3 in muscle played a pivotal role in regulating bone metabolism via myokine Cxcl5. Besides, mitochondria-targeting sequence-mediated Sirt3 overexpression in MOs effectively reversed bone deterioration. To validate mitochondria-targeted therapeutics, a Janus silica nano-vehicle was adopted to deliver resveratrol upon MSK OoC, effectively rescuing the pathological muscle-bone dysfunction. This study highlights the potential of the MSK OoC platform for investigating interorgan communication and developing precise nanomedicine therapies.

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Publication Details

Journal
National Science Review
Published
2025-05-27
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwaf214
Citations
4
Primary Topic
Biomedical and Engineering Education
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.70

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article

Musculoskeletal organoids-on-chip uncover muscle–bone communication under intermittent hypoxia

Rong Hu, Jiajia Deng, Yuanyuan Li, Xianqin Tong et al.
4 citations
National Science Review
Biomedical and Engineering Education
2.70
article

Musculoskeletal organoids-on-chip uncover muscle–bone communication under intermittent hypoxia

Rong Hu, Jiajia Deng, Yuanyuan Li, Xianqin Tong, Weihua Zhang, Jiao Li, Xiaomin Li, Yuehua Liu, Gang Yang, Minchao Liu
article en
4 citations

Abstract

Muscle and bone have intimate biochemical associations spatiotemporally. Yet, the muscle-bone dynamic alterations under intermittent hypoxia (IH) remain unclear, primarily due to the lack of suitable microphysiological models. Herein, we developed a novel musculoskeletal organoids-on-chip (MSK OoC), advancing an integrated study of muscle-bone biochemical communication and personalized interventional strategies. Within this MSK OoC, muscle organoids (MOs) replicate <i>in vivo</i> micro-architecture, while bone organoids mimic both the formation and remodeling processes. Utilizing MSK OoC, we discovered that IH-induced muscle pathology suppressed osteogenesis but stimulated osteoclastogenesis. The mitochondria protein Sirt3 in muscle played a pivotal role in regulating bone metabolism via myokine Cxcl5. Besides, mitochondria-targeting sequence-mediated Sirt3 overexpression in MOs effectively reversed bone deterioration. To validate mitochondria-targeted therapeutics, a Janus silica nano-vehicle was adopted to deliver resveratrol upon MSK OoC, effectively rescuing the pathological muscle-bone dysfunction. This study highlights the potential of the MSK OoC platform for investigating interorgan communication and developing precise nanomedicine therapies.

National Science ReviewVol. 12(7)
Fudan University (CN), Shanghai Stomatological Hospital (CN)
Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Fudan University, National Key Research and Development Program of China, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
Openalex Percentile: Top 10%
Biomedical and Engineering Education
2.70
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