ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Specific bone-targeting drug delivery system is very important in the treatment of bone-related diseases. Development of nanotechnology provides a good platform and a new thought for preparation of specific bone-targeting nanoscale drug delivery system. OBJECTIVE: To review the current development and future prospects of specific bone-targeting drug delivery systems. METHODS: A computer-based online search of PubMed, Web of Science, and Medline databases was performed to retrieve studies regarding active targeting drug delivery system and nanoscale drug delivery system published between March 2014 and March 2019 with the search terms “Bone target therapy, Nanoparticles, Drug delivery system”. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The targeting group is an important component of the specific bone-targeting drug delivery system and it determines the targeting efficiency of the drug delivery system. Targeting bone tissue, osteoblasts, osteoblasts, and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells have their own advantages and disadvantages. Specific bone-targeting nanoscale drug delivery systems have been widely used in various bone diseases, such as metastatic osteoporosis, osteomyelitis, multiple myeloma, osteosarcoma, and bone metastases. Specific bone-targeting drug delivery systems have advantages and challenges. Although many basic studies have shown good results of specific bone-targeting drug delivery systems in vivo, little is reported on successful clinical transformation of bone-targeting groups-modified nanoscale drug delivery systems.