Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41904167›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Cartilage targeting hydrogel nanoplatform degrades BRD4 to alleviate osteoarthritis via Nav1.7 axis.

Qirui Zhao, Tongtong Xu, Zuchao Du, Xiaoqing Lu, Yan Zhang, Linjia Peng, Zixuan Gao, Weicheng Wang, Binyu Zhu, Zhigang Liu and 12 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

22 authors.

Qirui Zhao *Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University, Henan University, Kaifeng, China.
Tongtong Xu *GCP Lab, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University, Kaifeng, China.
Zuchao Du *Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University, School of Medicine, Henan University, Kaifeng, China.
Xiaoqing Lu *Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University, Henan University, Kaifeng, China.
Yan Zhang *Henan Province Engineering Technology Research Center of Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Henan University, Kaifeng, China.
Linjia PengHenan Province Engineering Technology Research Center of Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Henan University, Kaifeng, China.
Zixuan GaoHenan Province Engineering Technology Research Center of Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Henan University, Kaifeng, China.
Weicheng WangInstitute of Nano Biomedicine and Engineering, School of Sensing Science and Engineering, School of Electronic Information and Electrical Engineering, Shanghai JiaoTong university, Shanghai, China.
Binyu ZhuInstitute of Nano Biomedicine and Engineering, School of Sensing Science and Engineering, School of Electronic Information and Electrical Engineering, Shanghai JiaoTong university, Shanghai, China.
Zhigang LiuDepartment of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University, Henan University, Kaifeng, China.
Guangjie YangDepartment of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University, Henan University, Kaifeng, China.
Hui ZhaoDepartment of Vascular Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University, Kaifeng, China.
Zhiming SongDepartment of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University, Kaifeng, China.
Qiankun LouDepartment of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University, Henan University, Kaifeng, China.
Jiaming LiDepartment of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University, Henan University, Kaifeng, China.
Zhiguang RenHenan Province Engineering Technology Research Center of Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Henan University, Kaifeng, China.
Zhe YuHenan Province Engineering Technology Research Center of Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Henan University, Kaifeng, China.
Wei WangInstitute of Nano Biomedicine and Engineering, School of Sensing Science and Engineering, School of Electronic Information and Electrical Engineering, Shanghai JiaoTong university, Shanghai, China.
Yanlei LiuInstitute of Nano Biomedicine and Engineering, School of Sensing Science and Engineering, School of Electronic Information and Electrical Engineering, Shanghai JiaoTong university, Shanghai, China.
Hui LiangHenan Province Engineering Technology Research Center of Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Henan University, Kaifeng, China.
Jesus M de la FuenteInstitute of Nano Biomedicine and Engineering, School of Sensing Science and Engineering, School of Electronic Information and Electrical Engineering, Shanghai JiaoTong university, Shanghai, China.
Daxiang CuiHenan Province Engineering Technology Research Center of Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Henan University, Kaifeng, China. dxcui@sjtu.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common degenerative joint disease with limited disease-modifying therapies. Emerging evidence suggests that epigenetic dysregulation contributes to cartilage degeneration, but effective strategies to selectively target these pathways remain lacking. Here we show that the BRD4/Nav1.7 axis drives inflammatory and metabolic dysfunction in OA. Integrated single-cell and transcriptomic analyses identify BRD4 as a key regulator that enhances Nav1.7 transcription, promoting mitochondrial impairment and catabolic activation in chondrocytes. To therapeutically target this pathway, we develop a biomimetic hydrogel system incorporating chondrocyte membrane-coated nanoparticles for cartilage-specific delivery of a BRD4 proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC), a molecule designed to induce selective protein degradation. This nanoplatform enables efficient intra-articular delivery, immune evasion and targeted retention in cartilage. Treatment suppresses inflammatory responses, restores mitochondrial function and reduces cartilage degeneration and pain behaviors in two mouse models of OA. These findings establish targeted BRD4 degradation as a disease-modifying strategy and provide a precision nanotherapeutic platform for OA.

Indexed as

Cartilage, ArticularCell Cycle ProteinsHydrogelsNAV1.7 Voltage-Gated Sodium ChannelOsteoarthritisTranscription FactorsAnimalsBromodomain Containing ProteinsChondrocytesDisease Models, AnimalHumansMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLMitochondriaNanoparticlesBRD4 protein, humanBrd4 protein, mouseBromodomain Containing ProteinsCell Cycle ProteinsHydrogelsNAV1.7 Voltage-Gated Sodium ChannelNuclear ProteinsProteolysis Targeting ChimeraTranscription Factors

Identifiers

PMID41904167
PMCPMC13194955

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.