Synergistic therapy for osteoporosis: a soybean osteogenic peptide-loaded fish gelatin/κ-carrageenan gel for enhanced bone regeneration

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Rhys

Osteoporosis is a skeletal disorder marked by diminished bone formation and elevated fracture risk. Peptide therapeutics can promote osteogenesis but face instability and rapid clearance. This work develops a dual-network hydrogel carrier of fish gelatin and κ-carrageenan loaded with a soybean-derived osteogenic peptide (SOP). The FG/κ-CG system supports mechanical stability, hydration balance, and thermal reliability, enabling sustained peptide protection and controlled release.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Osteoporosis background and current therapies

Osteogenic peptides and SOP rationale

Hydrogel carriers: fish gelatin and κ-carrageenan

OPEN ACCESS EDITED BY Zhouyi Xiong, Dongguan University of Technology, China REVIEWED BY Yuanyuan Li, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, China Rui Liu, Yuncheng University, China Fenghua Liu, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China *CORRESPONDENCE Junbo Ge [doctorgjb@163.com](doctorgjb@163.com); [ytsyygjp@163.com](ytsyygjp@163.com)[ ](ytsyygjp@163.com)RECEIVED 30 October 2025 REVISED 21 November 2025 ACCEPTED 27 November 2025 PUBLISHED 18 December 2025 CITATION Gong J, Zhang Y, Jie T, Huang T, Ma Y, Chen H, Gan J and Ge J (2025) Synergistic therapy for osteoporosis: a soybean osteogenic peptide-loaded fish gelatin/κ-carrageenan gel for enhanced bone regeneration. Front. Nutr. 12:1735717. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1735717 COPYRIGHT © 2025 Gong, Zhang, Jie, Huang, Ma, Chen, Gan and Ge. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. TYPE Original Research PUBLISHED 18 December 2025 DOI 10.3389/fnut.2025.1735717 Synergistic therapy for osteoporosis: a soybean osteogenic peptide-loaded fish gelatin/κ-carrageenan gel for enhanced bone regeneration Jinpeng Gong 1, Yuhan Zhang 2, Tao Jie 2, Tao Huang 1, Yupeng Ma 1, Hao Chen 2, Jing Gan3 and Junbo Ge 1* 1Department of Trauma Orthopedics, Yantaishan Hospital Affiliated to Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, China, 2Marine College, Shandong University, Weihai, Shandong, China, 3College of Life Science, Yantai University, Yantai, Shandong, China Osteoporosis is a widespread skeletal disorder associated with reduced bone formation and increased fracture risk. Peptide-based therapeutics offer demonstrate anabolic potential for osteoporosis management but are limited by instability and rapid clearance. In this study, a dual-network hydrogel composed of fish gelatin (FG) and κ-carrageenan (κ-CG) was developed as a biocompatible carrier fora soybean-derived osteogenic peptide (SOP) . The FG/κ-CG system exhibited provided mechanical integrity, hydration balance, and thermal stability, thereby enabling sustained peptide protection and controlled release. In a glucocorticoidinduced zebrafish osteoporosis model, oral administration of the SOP-loaded gel effectively restored bone mineralization to a level comparable with alendronate treatment. These findings suggest that the FG/κ-CG-SOP hydrogel provides astable and bioactive platform for osteogenic peptide delivery and represents a promising nutritional or therapeutic approach for osteoporosis management. KEYWORDS dual-network gel, fish gelatin, κ-carrageenan, osteoporosis, soybean osteogenic peptide 1 Introduction Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disorder characterized by decreased bone mass, structural deterioration, and increased fracture susceptibility ( 1–3) . Its pathogenesis mainly arises results from an imbalance between bone resorption and formation (4) . Current therapeutic strategies, including bisphosphonates, hormone therapy, and monoclonal antibodies, can slow bone loss to some degree; however, their long-term efficacy is limited undermined by adverse side effects and considerable variability in patient response (5–7) . These limitations highlight the urgent need for novel therapeutic approaches that directly restore osteogenic capacity within osteoporotic bone tissue. Bioactive peptides have recently attracted gained increasing attention as emerging osteoinductive agents (8, 9). Compared with conventional small-molecule drugs and protein growth factors, peptides offer possess well-defined molecular weights, high aqueous solubility, low immunogenicity, and the ability to

FAQs

Why are peptide therapeutics challenging for osteoporosis treatment?

They are limited by instability and rapid systemic clearance, and they also face inefficient targeted delivery in vivo.

What hydrogel system was developed in this study?

A dual-network hydrogel composed of fish gelatin (FG) and κ-carrageenan (κ-CG) loaded with a soybean-derived osteogenic peptide (SOP).

How was the SOP-loaded gel evaluated for efficacy?

It was tested in a glucocorticoid-induced zebrafish osteoporosis model, where oral administration restored bone mineralization comparably to alendronate treatment.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Rhys