In vitro proliferation and differentiation potential of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells from ovariectomized rats

• Bone marrow cells from ovariectomized (OVX) and sham rats were harvested and cultured in vitro.
• We evaluated the self-renewal, osteoblastic and adipogenic differentiation potential of BMMSCs.
• OVXBMMSCs are more proliferative than ShamBMMSCs.
• OVXBMMSCs are endowed with higher osteoblastic and adipogenic differentiation potential than ShamBMMSCs.
• We suggest OVXBMMSCs may be an attractive option as seed cells for both bone and adipose tissue engineering.

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) from the patients suffering from age-related osteoporosis were found to have numerous degeneration, such as decreased growth rate, impaired capacity of differentiating into local tissue, and repressed telomerase activity. However, it is not clear whether post-menopausal osteoporotic bone is either subject to such decline in cellular function. In the present study, bone marrow cells were harvested from ovariectomized (OVX) and Sham rats and cultured in vitro at 3 months post-surgery. MTT assay indicated that the proliferation potential of OVXBMMSCs was always higher than that of ShamBMMSCs, no matter cultured in basic, osteoblastic or adipogenic medium. Alkaline phosphatase activity assay, Alizarin red S staining, Oil red O staining and real-time RT-PCR analysis further demonstrated that bilateral ovariectomization positively influenced the osteoblastic and adipogenic differentiation potential of BMMSCs, this action may be partly mediated through up-regulation of osteoblastic special markers core binding factor a1, collagen type I and low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5, as well as adipogenic special markers peroxisome proliferators activated receptor gamma, CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha and adipocyte lipid-binding protein 2. These results may hold great promise for using post-menopausal osteoporotic bone as an attractive autologous marrow source for tissue engineering and cell-based therapies.

Figure optionsDownload high-quality image (238 K)Download as PowerPoint slide