SMAD7 as a hub regulator in the pathophysiology of bone autograft healing and specific siRNA design: An in silico study

Cemre Aydeğer

doi:10.31797/vetbio.1855840

SMAD7 as a hub regulator in the pathophysiology of bone autograft healing and specific siRNA design: An in silico study

Abstract

Bone autograft healing is a complex process requiring the coordinated regulation of multiple cellular and molecular mechanisms. Balanced activation of BMP2/TGF-β signaling pathways is critical for successful bone regeneration, and dysregulation of negative regulators within these pathways results in autograft non-union. The aim of this study was to identify a central regulatory target that suppresses BMP2/TGF-β signaling in the pathophysiology of bone autograft healing using in silico approaches and to design and prioritize specific siRNA candidates against this hub inhibitor. Gene ontology and pathway enrichment analyses were performed to evaluate inhibitors associated with BMP2/TGF-β signaling, revealing SMAD7 as the hub regulator with the highest degree of network connectivity. Subsequently, siRNA candidates targeting SMAD7 were predicted and filtered using the Ui-Tei, Reynolds, and Amarzguioui algorithms. Then one candidate was excluded due to the siExplorer score. The thermodynamic results showed that siRNA1 and siRNA3 were capable of forming stable hybrid complexes. Although both siRNAs have acceptable docking scores (−326.17 and -290.96) and a confidence score (0.9713 and 0.9437), comparative evaluation indicated that siRNA1 is determined as a primer candidate. Based on these findings, siRNA1-based approaches could be promising in bone autograft healing after in vitro and in vivo experiments are verified.

Keywords

Ethical Statement

Ethical approval and informed consent were not required for this study, as it was based entirely on in silico analyses and did not involve biological materials.

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Cemre Aydeğer ^*
0000-0003-1654-6406
Türkiye

Publication Date

January 13, 2026

Submission Date

January 4, 2026

Acceptance Date

January 12, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Number: 1

DOI

https://doi.org/10.31797/vetbio.1855840

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA54UR39RH

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Aydeğer, C. (2026). SMAD7 as a hub regulator in the pathophysiology of bone autograft healing and specific siRNA design: An in silico study. Journal of Advances in VetBio Science and Techniques, 1, 15-23. https://doi.org/10.31797/vetbio.1855840