Chronic bone and joint diseases severely affect the functional status of bone, cartilage, and soft tissues, thus leading to pain and dysfunction in the affected areas. Patients with these diseases can be treated by conservative methods such as oral medications in the early stages, while surgical interventions are commonly required for those in the advanced stage. As conventional anti-osteoporosis (OP) drugs, anti-inflammatory drugs, painkillers, and immunomodulators may induce side effects and drug resistance in the treatment process, it is necessary to explore new therapeutic drugs for the adjuvant treatment of chronic bone and joint diseases at an early or advanced stage. Epimedium is an herbal medicine in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and has been used for more than 2,000 years. As the main active ingredient in this herbal medicine, icariin (ICA) is effective in the treatment of chronic bone and joint diseases. This ingredient can be involved in the pathophysiological process of these diseases via modulating the osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), inhibiting osteoclastogenesis, resisting inflammation, protecting the extracellular matrix (ECM), regulating oxidative stress (OS), and participating in immunomodulation. In this study, the role of Epimedium in the prevention and treatment of chronic bone and joint diseases was systematically reviewed. The results demonstrated that Epimedium can be used as a complementary and alternative medicine for the treatment of chronic bone and joint diseases. In this paper, the mechanism of action and potential application of Epimedium in the prevention and treatment of chronic bone and joint diseases were summarized. These findings may lay a foundation for the further development and clinical application of Epimedium as a medicinal food source.

This review examines the therapeutic potential of resveratrol (RES) in managing degenerative musculoskeletal diseases (DMDs), including osteoarthritis (OA), osteoporosis, and sarcopenia. With the rising incidence of these diseases in aging populations, effective interventions are increasingly urgent. RES, a polyphenolic compound found in foods such as grapes and peanuts, has shown promise due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Acting within the framework of medicine and food homology, RES holds dual roles as both a dietary supplement and therapeutic agent. RES exerts its effects by modulating various signaling pathways, which collectively reduce inflammation, oxidative stress, and cellular apoptosis, thereby slowing the progression of DMDs. Clinical trials suggest that RES improves bone mineral density, alleviates OA symptoms, and helps preserve muscle mass. However, challenges like limited bioavailability and targeted delivery remain. Future research should focus on optimizing RES’s bioavailability and exploring its synergistic effects with other natural compounds to enhance its therapeutic impact. Overall, RES exemplifies a holistic approach to DMDs management by integrating dietary and pharmacological benefits, offering a sustainable strategy for disease management and prevention.

Degradability of bone tissue engineering scaffold that matching the regeneration rate could allow a complete replacement of host tissue. However, the porous structure of biodegradable Mg scaffolds certainly generated high specific surface area, and the three-dimensional interconnected pores provided fast pervasive invasion entrance for the corrosive medium, rising concern of the structural integrity during the degradation. To clarify the structural evolution of the three-dimensional (3D) porous structure, semi-static immersion tests were carried out to evaluate the degradation performance in our previous study. Nevertheless, dynamic immersion tests mimicking the in vivo circulatory fluid through the interconnected porous structure have yet been investigated. Moreover, the effects of dynamic flow rates on the degradation deposition behavior of 3D porous Mg scaffolds were rarely reported. In this study, Mg scaffolds degraded at three flow rates exhibited different degradation rates and deposition process. A flow rate of 0.5 mL/min introduced maximum drop of porosity by accumulated deposition products. The deposition products provided limited protection against the degradation process at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The three-dimensional interconnected porous structure of Mg scaffold degraded at 2.0 mL/min well retained after 14 days showing the best interconnectivity resistance to the degradation deposition process. The dynamic immersion tests disclosed the reason for the different degradation rates on account of flow rates, which may bring insight into understanding of varied in vivo degradation rates related to implantation sites.