Engineered Akkermansia muciniphila extracellular vesicles for targeted delivery of miR-21-5p alleviate postmenopausal osteoporosis via PI3K-AKT pathway.

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis (OP) is a common metabolic bone disease marked by decreased bone density and impaired bone structure. Conventional therapeutic strategies for OP are restricted by their non-specific targeting and long-term toxicity. Leveraging the gut-bone axis, we developed an engineered bacterial extracellular vesicles (BEVs) delivery system derived from probiotic Akkermansia muciniphila (AKK).

RESULTS: These BEVs were engineered with a bone-targeting peptide SDSSD to generate BT-AKK-EVs. Through miRNA sequencing and functional experiments, we identified miR-21-5p as a pivotal effector molecule enriched within AKK-EVs. Mechanistically, BT-AKK-EVs delivered miR-21-5p to promote osteogenic differentiation while simultaneously inhibiting osteoclastogenesis via activation of the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway. Systemic administration of BT-AKK-EVs in ovariectomized mice resulted in their robust accumulation in bone tissues, significantly alleviating bone loss.

CONCLUSIONS: This study establishes engineered probiotic BEVs as a safe and efficient platform for targeted bone therapy and elucidates a concrete molecular mechanism of gut-bone communication through vesicle-packaged miRNA, offering a transformative strategy for treating metabolic bone disorders.