Protective Effect of Bovine Milk Extracellular Vesicles on Alveolar Bone Loss.

SCOPE: Bovine milk extracellular vesicles (MEVs) have demonstrated therapeutic potential in regulating bone cell activity. However, the outcome of their use on alveolar bone loss has not yet been demonstrated. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study evaluates the effect of oral administration of MEVs on ovariectomized (OVX) mice. There is a reduced height of the alveolar bone crest in OVX mice by MEVs treatment, but the alveolar bone parameters are not altered. OVX mice are then submitted to a force-induced bone remodeling model by orthodontic tooth movement (OTM). MEVs-treated mice have markedly less bone remodeling movement, unlike the untreated OVX mice. Also, OVX mice treated with MEVs show an increased number of osteoblasts and osteocytes associated with higher sclerostin expression and reduce osteoclasts in the alveolar bone. Although the treatment with MEVs in OVX mice does not show differences in root structure in OTM, few odontoclasts are observed in the dental roots of OVX-treated mice. Compared to untreated mice, maxillary and systemic RANKL/OPG ratios are reduced in OVX mice treated with MEVs. CONCLUSION: Treatment with MEVs results in positive bone cell balance in the alveolar bone and dental roots, indicating its beneficial potential in treating alveolar bone loss in the nutritional context.

Milk extracellular vesicles accelerate osteoblastogenesis but impair bone matrix formation.

The claimed beneficial effect of milk on bone is still a matter for debate. Recently extracellular vesicles (EVs) that contain proteins and RNA were discovered in milk, but their effect on bone formation has not yet been determined. We demonstrated previously that bovine milk-derived EVs (BMEVs) have immunoregulatory properties. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of BMEVs on osteogenesis by mice and human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). Oral delivery of two concentrations of BMEVs to female DBA/1J mice during 7weeks did not alter the tibia trabecular bone area; however, the osteocytes number increased. In addition, the highest dose of BMEVs markedly increased the woven bone tissue, which is more brittle. The exposure of hMSCs to BMEVs during 21days resulted in less mineralization but higher cell proliferation. Interestingly BMEVs reduced the collagen production, but enhanced the expression of genes characteristic for immature osteoblasts. A kinetic study showed that BMEVs up-regulated many osteogenic genes within the first 4days. However, the production of type I collagen and expression of its genes (COL1A1 and COL1A2) were markedly reduced at days 21 and 28. At day 28, BMEVs again lead to higher proliferation, but mineralization was significantly increased. This was associated with increased expression of sclerostin, a marker for osteocytes, and reduced osteonectin, which is associated to bone matrix formation. Our study adds BMEVs to the list of milk components that can affect bone formation and may shed new light on the contradictory claims of milk on bone formation.