Osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells by adenovirus-mediated expression of leptin

Previous studies demonstrate that leptin has an osteogenic differentiation effect on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). However, the effect of adenovirus-mediated leptin on MSCs differentiation has not been reported. To explore the mechanism, we constructed a recombinant adenoviral vector Ad-leptin and transfected propagated MSCs in vitro. The effects of Ad-leptin on MSCs growth and osteogenic differentiation were examined. The results showed that Ad-leptin inhibited the transfected MSCs growth significantly, and up-regulated osteocalcin expression and alkaline phosphatase activity. The expression of Cbfα1 and Cbfβ which were the key factors in osteogenic differentiation was also up-regulated. All the findings suggest that genetic engineering of MSCs to express leptin gene may have potential application in the treatment of several genetic diseases and bone reconstruction.