Cellulose nanocrystals: a multimodal tool to enhance the targeted drug delivery against bone disorders.

We investigated the use of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) as drug nanocarriers combining an anti-osteoporotic agent, alendronate (ALN), and an anti-cancer drug, doxorubicin (DOX). CNC physicochemical characterization, imaging coupled with histology and  uptake and toxicity assays were carried out. CNC-ALN did not modify bone tropism and lung penetration, whereas its liver and kidney accumulation was slightly higher compared with CNCs alone. studies showed that CNC-ALN did not impair ALN's effect on osteoclasts, whereas CNC-DOX confirmed the therapeutic potential against bone metastatic cancer cells. This study provides robust proof of the potential of CNCs as easy, flexible and specific carriers to deliver compounds to the bone.