ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition and Food Science Technology
This article is part of the Research TopicAdvancing Nutrition through Natural Macromolecular Delivery Systems: Encapsulation and Controlled Release of Bioactive CompoundsView all articles
Synergistic Therapy for Osteoporosis: A Soybean Osteogenic Peptide-Loaded Fish Gelatin/κ-Carrageenan Gel for Enhanced Bone Regeneration
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Trauma Orthopedics, Yantaishan Hospital Affiliated to Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264000, China, Yantai, China
- 2Marine College, Shandong University, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China, Weihai, China
- 3College of Life Science, Yantai University, Yantai, Shandong 264000,, Yantai, China
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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 for a 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 glucocorticoid-induced 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 a stable 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
Received: 30 Oct 2025; Accepted: 27 Nov 2025.
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) or licensor 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.
* Correspondence: Junbo Ge
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