Effects of strontium on proliferation and differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells

Strontium ranelate (SrR) was an effective anti-osteoporotic drug to increase bone formation and decrease bone resorption. However, reports about the effect of SR on osteoblastic and adipocytic differentiation from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) are limited. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether SrR affects the ability of BMMSCs to differentiate into osteoblasts or adipocytes. Rat BMMSCs were identified by flow cytometry and exposed to SR (0.1 and 1.0mMSr(2+)) under osteogenic or adipogenic medium for 1 and 2weeks. The proliferation and differentiation of BMMSCs were analyzed by MTT, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Oil red O staining, quantitative real-time RT-PCR and Western blot assays. SrR significantly inhibited the proliferation, increased osteoblastic but decreased adipocytic differentiation of rat BMMSCs dose-dependently. In osteogenic medium, SrR increased the expression of ALP, the mRNA levels of Cbfa1/Runx2, bone sialoprotein, and osteocalcin by RT-PCR, and the protein levels of Cbfa1/Runx2 by Western blot. In adipogenic medium, SrR decreased the mRNA levels of PPARγ2, adipocyte lipid-binding protein 2 (aP2/ALBP), and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) by RT-PCR, and the protein expression of PPARγ in Western blot analysis. These results indicated that the effects of SrR to promote osteoblastic but inhibit adipocytic differentiation of BMMSCs might contribute to its effect on osteoporosis treatment.     

Increased adipogenesis of osteoporotic human-mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) characterizes by impaired leptin action

The bone marrow contains mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that differentiate to the osteogenic and adipogenic lineages. The fact that the decrease in bone volume of age-related osteoporosis is accompanied by an increase in marrow adipose tissue implies the importance that the adipogenic process may have in bone loss. We previously observed that MSCs from control and osteoporotic women showed differences in their capacity to differentiate into the osteogenic and adipogenic pathways. In vitro studies indicate that bone marrow stromal cells are responsive to leptin, which increases their proliferation, differentiation to osteoblasts, and the number of mineralized nodules, but inhibits their differentiation to adipocytes. The aim of the present report was to study the direct effect of leptin on control and osteoporotic MSCs analyzing whether the protective effect of leptin against osteoporosis could be expressed by inhibition of adipocyte differentiation. MSCs from control, and osteoporotic donors were subjected to adipogenic conditions, in the absence or in the presence of 62.5 nM leptin. The number of adipocytes, the content of PPARgamma protein, and mRNA, and leptin mRNA were measured by flow cytometry, Western blot, and RT-PCR, respectively. Results indicate that control and osteoporotic MSCs differ in their adipogenic potential as shown by expression of active PPARgamma protein. Leptin exerted an antiadipogenic effect only on control MSCs increasing the proportion of inactive phosphorylated PPARgamma protein. Finally, results obtained during adipogenesis of osteoporotic cells suggest that this process is abnormal not only because of increased adipocyte number, but because of impaired leptin cells response.     

Hyperglycemia Diverts Dividing Osteoblastic Precursor Cells to an Adipogenic Pathway and Induces Synthesis of a Hyaluronan Matrix That Is Adhesive for Monocytes

Isolated rat bone marrow stromal cells cultured in osteogenic medium in which the normal 5.6 mm glucose is changed to hyperglycemic 25.6 mm glucose greatly increase lipid formation between 21–31 days of culture that is associated with decreased biomineralization, up-regulate expression of cyclin D3 and two adipogenic markers (CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ) within 5 days of culture, increase neutral and polar lipid synthesis within 5 days of culture, and form a monocyte-adhesive hyaluronan matrix through an endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced autophagic mechanism. Evidence is also provided that, by 4 weeks after diabetes onset in the streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat model, there is a large loss of trabecular bone mineral density without apparent proportional changes in underlying collagen matrices, a large accumulation of a hyaluronan matrix within the trabecular bone marrow, and adipocytes and macrophages embedded in this hyaluronan matrix. These results support the hypothesis that hyperglycemia in bone marrow diverts dividing osteoblastic precursor cells (bone marrow stromal cells) to a metabolically stressed adipogenic pathway that induces synthesis of a hyaluronan matrix that recruits inflammatory cells and establishes a chronic inflammatory process that demineralizes trabecular cancellous bone.     

Reconstruction of tissue‐engineered bone with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and partially deproteinized bone in vitro

We have explored the optimal seeding density and timing for transplantation of the tissue‐engineered bone with BMMSCs (bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells) and PDPB (partially deproteinized bone) in vitro. Rabbit BMMSCs of different densities were seeded into PDPB generated from fresh pig vertebrates to reconstruct tissue‐engineered bone in vitro. Adhesion and proliferation of BMMSCs were analysed by MTT [3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyl‐2H‐tetrazolium bromide] assay from which growth curves of BMMSCs on the PDPB materials were generated. The data show that BMMSCs began to adhere to PDPB after 24 h of primary culture, all groups reaching peak growth on the 6th day, after which the value of A decreased gradually and reached a plateau phase. The optimal BMMSCs seeding density of 5×10⁶/ml achieved an excellent adhesion and proliferation activity on PDPB. In summary, the best cell seeding density of constructing tissue‐engineered bone with BMMSCs in vitro is 5×10⁶/ml, the optimal timing to transplant is the 6th day.     

A Prunus mume extract stimulated the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells

Osteoporosis is a serious disease caused by decreased bone mass. There is constant matrix remodeling in bones, by which bone formation is performed by osteoblastic cells, whereas bone resorption is accomplished by osteoclast cells. We investigated the effect of a Japanese apricot (Prunus mume SIBE. et ZUCC.) extract on the proliferation and osteoblastic differentiation in pre-osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells. An alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity assay, cell proliferation assay, alizarin red staining and expression analysis of osteoblastic genes were carried out to assess the proliferation and osteoblastic differentiation. The water-soluble fraction of Prunus mume (PWF) increased the ALP activity, cell proliferation and mineralization. The gene expression of osteopontin and bone morphogenetic protein-2, which are markers in the early period of osteoblastic differentiation, were significantly enhanced by the PWF treatment. PWF therefore stimulated the proliferation and osteoblastic differentiation of cells and may have potential to prevent osteoporosis.     

Effects of BMP-2 and vitamin D3 on the osteogenic differentiation of adipose stem cells

A theoretical inverse relationship has long been postulated for osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation (bone versus adipose tissue differentiation). This inverse relationship in theory at least partially underlies the clinical entity of osteoporosis, in which marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have a predilection for adipose differentiation that increases with age. In the present study, we assayed the potential anti-adipogenic effects of Nell-1 protein (an osteoinductive molecule). Using 3T3-L1 (a human preadipocyte cell line) cells and human adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs), we observed that adenoviral delivered (Ad)-Nell-1 or recombinant NELL-1 protein significantly reduced adipose differentiation across all markers examined (Oil red O staining, adipogenic gene expression [Pparg, Lpl, Ap2]). In a prospective fashion, Hedgehog signaling was assayed as potentially downstream of Nell-1 signaling in regulating osteogenic over adipogenic differentiation. In comparison to Ad-LacZ control, Ad-Nell-1 increased expression of hedgehog signaling markers (Ihh, Gli1, Ptc1). These studies suggest that Nell-1 is a potent anti-adipogenic agent. Moreover, Nell-1 signaling may inhibit adipogenic differentiation via a Hedgehog dependent mechanism.     

Coexpression of osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation markers in selected subpopulations of primary human mesenchymal progenitor cells

Knowledge of the basic mechanisms controlling osteogenesis and adipogenesis might provide new insights into the prevention of osteoporosis and age-related osteopenia. With the help of magnetic cell sorting and fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS), osteoblastic subpopulations of mesenchymal progenitor cells were characterized. Alkaline phosphatase (AP) negative cells expressed low levels of osteoblastic and adipocytic markers. AP positive cells expressed adipocytic markers more strongly than the AP negative cell populations, thus suggesting that committed osteoblasts exhibit a greater adipogenic potential. AP negative cells differentiated to the mature osteoblastic phenotype, as demonstrated by increased AP-activity and osteocalcin secretion under standard osteogenic culture conditions. Surprisingly, this was accompanied by increased expression of adipocytic gene markers such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma2, lipoprotein lipase and fatty acid binding protein. The induction of adipogenic markers was suppressed by transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) and promoted by bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2). Osteogenic culture conditions including BMP-2 induced both the formation of mineralized nodules and cytoplasmic lipid vacuoles. Upon immunogold electron microscopic analysis, osteoblastic and adipogenic marker proteins were detectable in the same cell. Our results suggest that osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation in human mesenchymal progenitor cells might not be exclusively reciprocal, but rather, a parallel event until late during osteoblast development.     

Autophagy controls mesenchymal stem cell properties and senescence during bone aging

Bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) exhibit degenerative changes, including imbalanced differentiation and reduced proliferation during aging, that contribute to age‐related bone loss. We demonstrate here that autophagy is significantly reduced in aged BMMSCs compared with young BMMSCs. The autophagy inhibitor 3‐methyladenine (3‐MA) could turn young BMMSCs into a relatively aged state by reducing their osteogenic differentiation and proliferation capacity and enhancing their adipogenic differentiation capacity. Accordingly, the autophagy activator rapamycin could restore the biological properties of aged BMMSCs by increasing osteogenic differentiation and proliferation capacity and decreasing adipogenic differentiation capacity. Possible underlying mechanisms were explored, and the analysis revealed that autophagy could affect reactive oxygen species and p53 levels, thus regulating biological properties of BMMSCs. In an in vivo study, we found that activation of autophagy restored bone loss in aged mice. In conclusion, our results suggest that autophagy plays a pivotal role in the aging of BMMSCs, and activation of autophagy could partially reverse this aging and may represent a potential therapeutic avenue to clinically treat age‐related bone loss.     

脂肪干细胞的诱导分化及其来源的研究

目的:通过组织块培养法得到脂肪干细胞(adipose-derived stem cells,ADSCs),探讨其诱导分化潜能,并初步研究ADSCs的来源。方法:用脂肪组织块培养法培养原代人ADSCs。第三代ADSCs进行成脂和成骨诱导分化,分别用油红O和茜素红S染色进行鉴定。脂肪组织块培养七天后取脂肪组织进行Hematoxylin-eosin Staining(HE)染色观察ADSCs组织分布。结果:用脂肪组织块培养法成功培养出原代人ADSCs。ADSCs传代到第8代,依然保持着良好的增殖能力和细胞形态。ADSCs能成功诱导成脂肪细胞和骨细胞。通过对培养七天后的脂肪组织块进行HE染色,发现ADSCs主要分布在脂肪组织的间质血管和结缔组织周围。结论:用脂肪组织块培养出来的ADSCs具有成脂和成骨分化的潜能。ADSCs主要定位于间质血管和结缔组织周围。     

Secreted adiponectin as a marker to evaluate in vitro the adipogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stromal cells

Background aimsMultipotency is one of the hallmarks of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). Given the widespread adoption of MSC-based clinical applications, the need for rapid and reliable methods to estimate MSC multipotency is demanding. Adipogenic potential is commonly evaluated by staining cell lipid droplets with oil red O. This cytochemical assay is performed at the terminal stage of adipogenic induction (21–28 days) and necessitates the destruction of the specimen. In this study, we investigated whether it is possible to assess MSC adipogenic differentiation in a more efficient, timely and non-destructive manner, while monitoring in vitro secretion of adiponectin, a hormone specifically secreted by adipose tissue.MethodsA commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit was used to quantify adiponectin secreted in the culture medium of adipo-induced human bone marrow–derived MSCs. Oil red O staining was used as a reference method.ResultsAdiponectin is detectable after 10 days of induction at a median concentration of 5.13 ng/mL. The secretion of adiponectin steadily increases as adipogenesis proceeds. Adiponectin is undetectable when adipogenic induction is pharmacologically blocked, inefficient or when human MSCs are induced to differentiate toward the osteogenic lineage, proving the specificity of the assay. Furthermore, the results of adiponectin secretion strongly correlate with oil red O quantification at the end of induction treatment.ConclusionsOur results demonstrate that quantification of secreted adiponectin can be used as a reliable and robust method to evaluate adipogenic potential without destroying samples. This method provides a useful tool for quality control in the laboratory and in clinical applications of human MSCs.     

转化生长因子-β1对大鼠骨髓间充质干细胞增殖及Slug表达的影响

目的检测转化生长因子-β1(transforming growth factor-β1,TGF-β1)对体外培养大鼠骨髓间充质干细胞(bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell,BMMSCs)增殖及Slug表达的影响。方法采用密度梯度离心结合贴壁法分离、培养大鼠BMMSCs,用免疫组织化学方法对培养第3代的细胞进行鉴定。用MTT法检测不同浓度TGF-β1对细胞增殖的影响;免疫荧光和免疫印迹法检测TGF-β1处理前后Slug的表达情况。结果密度梯度离心结合贴壁法能有效分离、纯化大鼠BMMSCs,免疫组织化学法检测显示CD29、CD44表达阳性,而CD34、CD45表达阴性;低浓度TGF-β1对BMMSCs的增殖有促进作用,高浓度却抑制BMMSCs的增殖。TGF-β1处理24 h,Slug蛋白表达明显增强。结论一定浓度的TGF-β1可以促进BMMSCs的增殖,而且引起Slug蛋白增加。     

Uric Acid Promotes Osteogenic Differentiation and Inhibits Adipogenic Differentiation of Human Bone Mesenchymal Stem Cells

To investigate the effect of uric acid on the osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation of human bone mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs). The hBMSCs were isolated from bone marrow of six healthy donors. Cell morphology was observed by microscopy and cell surface markers (CD44 and CD34) of hBMSCs were analyzed by immunofluorescence. Cell morphology and immunofluorescence analysis showed that hBMSCs were successfully isolated from bone marrow. The number of hBMSCs in uric acid groups was higher than that in the control group on day 3, 4, and 5. Alizarin red staining showed that number of calcium nodules in uric acid groups was more than that of the control group. Oil red‐O staining showed that the number of red fat vacuoles decreased with the increased concentration of uric acid. In summary, uric acid could promote the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs while inhibit adipogenic differentiation of hBMSCs.     

Comparison of gingiva‐derived and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells for osteogenesis

Presently, bone marrow is considered as a prime source of mesenchymal stem cells; however, there are some drawbacks and limitations. Compared with other mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) sources, gingiva‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (GMSCs) are abundant and easy to obtain through minimally invasive cell isolation techniques. In this study, MSCs derived from gingiva and bone marrow were isolated and cultured from mice. GMSCs were characterized by osteogenic, adipogenic and chondrogenic differentiation, and flow cytometry. Compared with bone marrow MSCs (BMSCs), the proliferation capacity was judged by CCK‐8 proliferation assay. Osteogenic differentiation was assessed by ALP staining, ALP assay and Alizarin red staining. RT‐qPCR was performed for ALP, OCN, OSX and Runx2. The results indicated that GMSCs showed higher proliferative capacity than BMSCs. GMSCs turned more positive for ALP and formed a more number of mineralized nodules than BMSCs after osteogenic induction. RT‐qPCR revealed that the expression of ALP, OCN, OSX and Runx2 was significantly increased in the GMSCs compared with that in BMSCs. Moreover, it was found that the number of CD90‐positive cells in GMSCs elevated more than that of BMSCs during osteogenic induction. Taking these results together, it was indicated that GMSCs might be a promising source in the future bone tissue engineering.     

The effect of adrenocorticotropic hormone on alpha‐2‐macroglobulin in osteoblasts derived from human mesenchymal stem cells

Nowadays, alpha‐2‐macroglobulin (A2M) gene has allocated escalating interest among several genes involved in the pathogenesis of avascular necrosis of the femoral head (ANFH). This molecule could interact with several osteogenic‐related proteins. It was reported that adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) affects bones through its receptor located on osteoblasts, suggesting it as a potential target in ANFH treatment. In this study, the effect of ACTH on A2M expression was investigated in osteoblasts as well as during the differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into osteoblasts. In this study, MSCs derived from bone marrow were isolated and purified using Ficoll gradient and several passaging. MSCs were characterized by induction with osteogenic and adipogenic medium followed by Oil Red O, Alizarin Red and alkaline phosphatase staining. Besides, MSCs were exposed to various concentrations of ACTH to evaluate the cell variability by MTT assay. MSCs and differentiated osteoblasts were treated with 10^?8 molar ACTH for 16 and 26 days, respectively. Then, the total RNA was extracted and A2M expression was quantified by real‐time qPCR. The protein expression levels of osteoblast markers including alkaline phosphatase (ALPL) and bone gamma‐carboxyglutamate protein (BGLAP) were also measured. The results showed that A2M expression in cells treated with ACTH was up‐regulated significantly compared to the control group. Similarly, the expression of osteoblast gene markers including ALPL and BGLAP was significantly increased. ACTH, as an osteoblastic differentiation enhancer, up‐regulates A2M, which promotes osteoblastic differentiation probably through TGF‐β induction.     

Mesenchymal stem cells from osteoporotic patients produce a type I collagen-deficient extracellular matrix favoring adipogenic differentiation

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), precursor cells resident in the bone marrow, have the capacity to differentiate into bone, cartilage, fat, and connective tissue. We have recently reported that MSCs from "healthy" donors differ from cells obtained from osteoporotic postmenopausal women in their proliferation rate, mitogenic response to osteogenic growth factors, and potential to mineralize. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that explain the differential capacity of MSCs derived from "healthy" control and osteoporotic postmenopausal women to support mineralization. In addition, we examined the factors that regulate the differentiation of osteoporotic cells into adipocytes. For this purpose, we isolated MSCs from bone marrow of donors and analyzed the synthesis and deposition of type I collagen, the main component of bone extracellular matrix, the time course of gelatinolytic activity expression, the deposition of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta), and the ability of cells to differentiate into adipocytes. Our results indicate that cells derived from osteoporotic donors synthesized 50% less type I collagen than normal cells and maintained higher levels of gelatinolytic activity under differentiation conditions (70% versus 15% after 14 days in culture). MSCs derived from osteoporotic women produced 60-65% less TGF-beta and expressed higher adipogenic capacity. We conclude that the capacity of MSCs derived from osteoporotic postmenopausal women to generate and maintain type I collagen-rich extracellular matrix is decreased, favoring their adipogenic differentiation. These observations may explain the decreased mineralization previously observed in these types of cells.