Wnt/β-catenin signaling is involved in the Icariin induced proliferation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of icariin on proliferation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats.MethodsBMSCs were obtained from SD rat bone marrow with differential time adherent method. Its characteristic was identified through differentiation cell surface antigens and the multi-lineage (osteo/adipo/chondo) differentiation potential. 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) method and 5-Bromo-2-Deoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation were applied to detect the effect of icariin on BMSCs proliferation. Flow cytometry was used to detect proliferation index of BMSCs. The mRNA level and the distribution of β-catenin were evaluated by Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Immunofluorescent staining respectively. Western blot was used to detect protein expression levels of β-catenin, glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK-3β), phospho-glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (pGSK-3β) and cyclinD1.ResultsIcariin promoted BMSCs proliferation at the concentration of 0.05-2.0 mg/L. The percentage of BrdU positive cells of BMSCs was increased from 40.98% to 70.42%, and the proliferation index value was increased from 8.9% to 17.5% with the treatment of 0.05 mg/L icariin, which significance values were both less than 0.05. Compared with the control group, total and nuclear β-catenin proteins, as well as β-catenin mRNA expression, were all increased with icariin treatment. Meanwhile, the phosphorylation level of GSK-3β and cyclinD1 protein expressions were also increased in BMSCs with icariin treatment.ConclusionThe findings of the present study demonstrated that low dosage of icariin could promote BMSCs proliferation. The activation of Wnt/β-catenin pathways was involved in this process.