Isoliquiritin treatment of osteoporosis by promoting osteogenic differentiation and autophagy of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.

Osteoporosis is a chronic progressive bone disease characterized by the decreased osteogenic ability of osteoblasts coupled with increased osteoclast activity. Natural products showing promising therapeutic potential for postmenopausal osteoporosis remain underexplored. In this study, we aimed to analyze the therapeutic effects of isoliquiritin (ISL) on osteoporosis in mice and its possible mechanism of action. An ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis mouse model and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were used to analyze the effects of ISL on bone regeneration in vivo and in vitro, respectively. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and autophagy inhibitors were used, to investigate whether the MAPK signaling pathway and autophagy affect the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. ISL significantly improved bone formation and reduced bone resorption in mouse femurs without inducing any detectable toxicity in critical organs such as the liver, kidney, brain, heart, and spleen. In vitro experiments showed that ISL enhanced the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs and that its osteogenic effect was attenuated by p38/extracellular regulated protein kinase (ERK) and autophagy inhibitors. Further studies showed that the inhibition of phosphorylated p38/ERK blocked ISL autophagy in BMSCs. ISL promoted the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs through the p38/ERK-autophagy pathway and was therapeutically effective in treating osteoporosis in ovariectomized mice without any observed toxicity to vital organs. These results strongly suggest the promising potential of ISL as a safe and efficacious candidate drug for the treatment of osteoporosis.

Selenium-Doped Mesoporous Bioactive Glass Regulates Macrophage Metabolism and Polarization by Scavenging ROS and Promotes Bone Regeneration In Vivo.

Bone regeneration is complex and involves multiple cells and systems, with macrophage-mediated immune regulation being critical for the development and regulation of inflammation, angiogenesis, and osteogenesis. Biomaterials with modified physical and chemical properties (e.g., modified wettability and morphology) effectively regulate macrophage polarization. This study proposes a novel approach to macrophage-polarization induction and -metabolism regulation through selenium (Se) doping. We synthesized Se-doped mesoporous bioactive glass (Se-MBG) and demonstrated its macrophage-polarization regulation toward M2 and its enhancement of the macrophage oxidative phosphorylation metabolism. The underlying mechanism is the effective scavenging of excessive intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) by the Se-MBG extracts through the promotion of peroxide-scavenging enzyme glutathione peroxidase 4 expression in the macrophages; this, in turn, improves the mitochondrial function. Printed Se-MBG scaffolds were implanted into rats with critical-sized skull defects to evaluate their immunomodulatory and bone regeneration capacity in vivo. The Se-MBG scaffolds demonstrated excellent immunomodulatory function and robust bone regeneration capacity. Macrophage depletion with clodronate liposomes impaired the Se-MBG-scaffold bone regeneration effect. Se-mediated immunomodulation, which targets ROS scavenging to regulate macrophage metabolic profiles and mitochondrial function, is a promising concept for future effective biomaterials for bone regeneration and immunomodulation.

The role of PIWI-interacting RNA in naringin pro-angiogenesis by targeting HUVECs.

Angiogenesis is a biological process in which resting endothelial cells start proliferating, migrating and forming new blood vessels. Angiogenesis is particularly important in the repair of bone tissue defects. Naringin (NG) is the main active monomeric component of traditional Chinese medicine, which has various biological activities, such as anti-osteoporosis, anti-inflammatory, blood activation and microcirculation improvement. At present, the mechanism of naringin in the process of angiogenesis is not clear. PIWI protein-interacting RNA (piRNA) is a small noncoding RNA (sncRNA) that has the functions of regulating protein synthesis, regulating the structure of chromatin and the genome, stabilizing mRNA and others. Several studies have demonstrated that piRNAs can mediate the angiogenesis process. Whether naringin can interfere with the process of angiogenesis by regulating piRNAs and related target genes deserves further exploration. Thus, the purpose of this study was to validate the potential angiogenic and bone regeneration properties and related mechanisms of naringin both in vivo and in vitro.

Effects of erythropoietin on osteoblast proliferation and function.

The purposes of this study were to investigate the effects of erythropoietin (EPO) on the proliferation and function of human osteoblast cells (hFOB 1.19) cultured in vitro and to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms to provide a theoretical foundation for clinical applications of EPO in oral implant and restoration therapies. Cultured hFOB 1.19 cells were treated with high and low doses of EPO. Changes in cell viability after 24 and 48 h of treatment were evaluated with the Mosmann tetrazolium assay. Changes in cell proliferation after 48 h of EPO treatment were measured by bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling, and changes in alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity were determined by a specific assay. The effects of EPO on osteocalcin secretion were determined with the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and changes in the protein expression of osteoprotegerin (OPG), osteopontin (OPN) and receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) were assayed by western blot. The effects of EPO treatment on the levels of the EPO receptor (EPOR), phosphorylated Jak2 (P-Jak2) and phosphorylated Stat3 (P-Stat3) in hFOB 1.19 cells were evaluated in conjunction with a Jak2/Stat3 inhibitor. After 24 h of EPO treatment, hFOB 1.19 cells showed increased cell viability compared with the blank control group (p < 0.05). After 48 h, cell viability and growth were further improved relative to controls, with a significant increase observed for viability (p < 0.05). A significant increase in the proportion of BrdU-labeled proliferating cells was observed in the high-dose EPO group (p < 0.05), and EPO-treated cells also showed enhanced ALP activity (p < 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in osteocalcin secretion between groups after 48 h of EPO treatment (p > 0.05); however, increased secretion was observed in EPO-treated cells after 96 h of treatment (p < 0.05). EPO treatment significantly promoted OPG and OPN expression (p < 0.05) while significantly inhibiting RANKL expression (p < 0.01). EPO treatment also significantly upregulated the levels of EPOR, P-Jak2 and P-Stat3 in hFOB 1.19 cells (p < 0.01); these effects were abrogated by co-treatment with a Jak2/Stat3 inhibitor (AG490) (p < 0.01). EPO significantly stimulated osteoblast proliferation and differentiation. The underlying molecular mechanism is associated with the ability of EPO to promote ALP activity, osteocalcin secretion and OPG and OPN expression and to inhibit RANKL expression in osteoblasts. This mechanism appears to be mediated by the Jak2/Stat3 pathway.