Ferutinin promotes proliferation and osteoblastic differentiation in human amniotic fluid and dental pulp stem cells

AimsThe phytoestrogen Ferutinin plays an important role in prevention of osteoporosis caused by ovariectomy-induced estrogen deficiency in rats, but there is no evidence of its effect on osteoblastic differentiation in vitro. In this study we investigated the effect of Ferutinin on proliferation and osteoblastic differentiation of two different human stem cells populations, one derived from the amniotic fluid (AFSCs) and the other from the dental pulp (DPSCs).Main methodsAFSCs and DPSCs were cultured in a differentiation medium for 14 or 21 days with or without the addition of Ferutinin at a concentration ranging from 10^? 11 to 10^? 4 M. 17β-Estradiol was used as a positive drug at 10^? 8 M. Cell proliferation and expression of specific osteoblast phenotype markers were analyzed.Key findingsMTT assay revealed that Ferutinin, at concentrations of 10^? 8 and 10^? 9 M, enhanced proliferation of both AFSCs and DPSCs after 72 h of exposure. Moreover, in both stem cell populations, Ferutinin treatment induced greater expression of the osteoblast phenotype markers osteocalcin (OCN), osteopontin (OPN), collagen I, RUNX-2 and osterix (OSX), increased calcium deposition and osteocalcin secretion in the culture medium compared to controls. These effects were more pronounced after 14 days of culture in both populations.SignificanceThe enhancing capabilities on proliferation and osteoblastic differentiation displayed by the phytoestrogen Ferutinin make this compound an interesting candidate to promote bone formation in vivo.