LPS-stimulated inflammation inhibits BMP-9-induced osteoblastic differentiation through crosstalk between BMP/MAPK and Smad signaling

• LPS stimulation suppresses BMP-9-induced osteogenic differentiation.
• LPS inhibits BMP-9 induced Smad1/5/8.
• LPS stimulation reduces BMP-9-induced Runx2 expression through MAPK signaling.
• The inhibitory effect of LPS on BMP-9-induced osteogenic differentiation is related to MAPK signaling.

Inflammation is a common situation during bone healing and is recognized to inhibit osteogenic differentiation and bone formation. However, the effect of inflammation on BMP-9-induced osteoblastic differentiation remains unclear. In the present study, we found that an inflammatory environment triggered by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in vitro suppressed BMP-9-induced osteogenic differentiation. In addition, LPS decreased BMP-9-induced phosphorylation of Smad1/5/8 and showed obvious inhibitory effects on BMP-9-induced Smad signaling. We then confirmed that LPS and BMP-9 can activate p38MAPK and ERK1/2 signaling, and that LPS stimulation reduces BMP-9-induced Runx2 expression through the activation of p38MAPK and ERK1/2 signaling. Finally, we determined that blockade of MAPK signaling by specific inhibitors reverses the inhibitory effect of LPS on BMP-9-induced osteogenic differentiation, and that MAPK acts as a mediator of the negative regulatory role of LPS in BMP-9-induced activation of Smad signaling. Based on these results, we conclude that the LPS-mediated inflammatory environment inhibits BMP-9-induced osteogenic differentiation, via crosstalk between BMP/MAPK and Smad signaling. The elucidation of these mechanisms may hasten the development of new strategies and improve the osteoinductive efficacy of BMP-9 in the clinic, resulting in enhanced osteoblastic differentiation and bone formation.