Icariin accelerates bone regeneration by inducing osteogenesis-angiogenesis coupling in rats with type 1 diabetes mellitus

Albiflorin improves osteoporotic bone regeneration by promoting osteogenesis-angiogenesis coupling of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells

Albiflorin (ALB) has been shown to promote osteogenesis, however, its effect on angiogenesis still remains unclear. This research aimed to explore the effect of ALB on angiogenesis and bone regeneration under osteoporotic conditions. The pro-osteogenesis capacity of ALB was assessed by osteogenic differentiation assays. Subsequent research examined the effect of ALB on angiogenesis. After revealing the pro-angiogenesis capacity of ALB, we explored the relationship between the pro-osteogenesis capacity and the pro-angiogenesis capacity of ALB by angiogenesis-related assays. Whereafter, the osteoporotic bone defect rat model was constructed to explore the effect of ALB on osteoporotic bone regeneration. Our research found that ALB promoted osteogenesis of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and enhanced the expression of angiogenesis-specific markers, but it couldn't promote angiogenesis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) directly. Further research revealed that ALB enhanced HUVECs migration and tube formation when the cells cultured in BMSCs-conditioned medium. Subsequently, it is observed that ALB facilitated bone regeneration under osteoporotic conditions by promoting osteogenesis and the formation of CD31hiEMCNhi type H-positive vessels. To sum up, this research indicated that ALB could improve osteoporotic bone regeneration by promoting osteogenesis-angiogenesis coupling of BMSCs, which provided a novel perspective for improving osteoporotic bone regeneration.

Icariin-loaded chitosan/β-glycerophosphate thermosensitive hydrogel enhanced infection control and bone regeneration in canine with infectious bone defects

Faced with infectious bone defects, the development of a thermosensitive hydrogel containing icariin (ICA) represents a promising therapeutic strategy targeting infection control and bone regeneration. In this study, we prepared and evaluated the physicochemical properties, in vitro and in vivo drug release, antimicrobial activity, anti-inflammatory properties, and bone repair effects of ICA/Chitosan/β-Glycerophosphate (ICA/CTS/β-GP) thermosensitive hydrogel. Our findings demonstrate that the ICA/CTS/β-GP thermosensitive hydrogel undergoes a liquid-to-gel transition at body temperature, which is crucial for maintaining local drug release at the defect site. Additionally, the hydrogel exhibited sustained release of ICA over 28 days, showing high antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and good biocompatibility in blood compatibility tests. In a canine model of infectious bone defects, the ICA/CTS/β-GP thermosensitive hydrogel showed effective infection control and modulated inflammation, vascular formation, and bone factor expression, while also activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. In conclusion, the ICA/CTS/β-GP thermosensitive hydrogel could control infection and repair bone tissue. Its antimicrobial and osteogenic properties provide hope for its clinical application.

A trend of osteocalcin in diabetes mellitus research: bibliometric and visualization analysis

Background

Osteocalcin has attracted attention for its potential role in diabetes management. However, there has been no bibliometric assessment of scientific progress in this field.

Methods

We analysed 1680 articles retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) between 1 January 1986 and 10 May 2024 using various online tools.

Result

These papers accumulated 42,714 citations,with an average of 25.43 citations per paper. Publication output increased sharply from 1991 onwards. The United States and China are at the forefront of this research area.

Discussion

The keywords were grouped into four clusters: 'Differential and functional osteocalcin genes', 'Differential expression of osteocalcin genes in relation to diabetes mellitus', 'Role of osteocalcin in the assessment of osteoporosis and diabetes mellitus', and 'Indirect involvement of osteocalcin in metabolic processes'. Analysis using the VoS viewer suggests a shift in research focus towards the correlation between osteocalcin levels and diabetic complications, the clinical efficacy of therapeutic agents or vitamins in the treatment of osteoporosis in diabetic patients, and the mechanisms by which osteocalcin modulates insulin action. The proposed focus areas are "osteocalcin genes", "insulin regulation and osteoporosis ", "different populations", "diabetes-related complications" and "type 2 diabetes mellitus","effect of osteocalcin expression on insulin sensitivity as well as secretion","osteocalcin expression in different populations of diabetic patients and treatment-related studies".

Icariin Facilitates Osteogenic Differentiation and Suppresses Adipogenic Differentiation of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells by Enhancing SOST Methylation in Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

PURPOSE

Postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO) is mainly concerned with the imbalance of bone resorption and bone formation. Icariin (ICA) plays a vital role in bone protection. This study investigated the mechanism of ICA in PMO rats.

METHODS

The rats were treated with ovariectomy (OVX) and ICA. Bone structure parameters were measured by Micro-CT. BMSCs were obtained from normal rats, OVX rats, and ICA-treated rats. BMSCs were infected with SOST overexpression lentivirus, and TWS119, an activator of Wnt pathway, was introduced for joint experiment. The binding of ERα to SOST promoter was verified. OVX/ICA rats were injected with DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-Aza-dC.

RESULT

ICA increased bone mass and decreased bone marrow fat content in OVX rats. ICA facilitated osteogenic differentiation and repressed adipogenic differentiation of BMSCs. Overexpressing SOST antagonized the effect of ICA, whereas TWS119 rescued the effect of overexpressing SOST. ICA reduced SOST expression by attenuating the effect of ERα. Methylation of SOST inhibited ERα binding to SOST promoter. In vivo experiments confirmed that ICA improved bone mass and reduced bone marrow fat content by enhancing SOST methylation.

CONCLUSION

Overall, ICA upregulated SOST methylation and inhibited the binding of ERα to SOST promoter, thereby promoting osteogenic differentiation and repressing adipogenic differentiation of BMSCs.

Polydatin accelerates osteoporotic bone repair by inducing the osteogenesis-angiogenesis coupling of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells via the PI3K/AKT/GSK-3β/β-catenin pathway

BACKGROUND

Polydatin (POL), a natural stilbenoid, has multiple pharmacological activities. However, its effect on osteoporotic bone defects has not yet been examined. This study was designed to explore the unknown role of POL on osteoporotic bone repair.

METHODS

The effect of POL on osteogenesis and angiogenesis were investigated firstly. Then a series of angiogenesis-related assays were carried out to explore the relationship between osteogenesis and angiogenesis of POL, and the underlying mechanism was further explored. Whereafter, ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis rats with bone defect were treated with POL or placebo, the imageological and histological examinations were conducted to assess the effect of POL on osteoporotic bone repair.

RESULTS

The moderate concentrations (1 μM and 10 μM) of POL enhanced the osteogenesis of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and elevated the expression of angiogenic-specific markers. Further research found that POL-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells migration and tube formation through the osteogenesis-angiogenesis coupling of BMSCs, and the POL-induced osteogenesis-angiogenesis coupling was reversed after co-cultured with LY294002. Mechanistically, this was conducted via activating PI3K/AKT/GSK-3β/β-catenin pathway. After that, using the osteoporotic bone defect rat model, the authors, observed that POL facilitated osteoporotic bone repair through enhancing osteogenesis and CD31 hi EMCN hi type H-positive vessels formation via the PI3K/AKT/GSK-3β/β-catenin pathway.

CONCLUSION

The data above indicated that POL could accelerate osteoporotic bone repair by inducing the osteogenesis-angiogenesis coupling of BMSCs via the PI3K/AKT/GSK-3β/β-catenin pathway, which provided new insight and strategy for osteoporotic bone repair.

Effects of Hispidulin on the Osteo/Odontogenic and Endothelial Differentiation of Dental Pulp Stem Cells

Background: Human dental pulp stem cells (HDPSCs) with multi-lineage differentiation potential and migration ability are required for HDPSC-based bone and dental regeneration. Hispidulin is a naturally occurring flavonoid with diverse pharmacological activities, but its effects on biological properties of HDPSCs remain unknown. Therefore, we investigated the effects of hispidulin on the differentiation potential and migration ability of HDPSCs and elucidated their underlying mechanisms. Methods: The osteo/odontogenic capacity of HDPSCs was assessed using the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and Alizarin Red S (ARS) staining. The migration ability of HDPSCs was evaluated using a scratch wound assay. Furthermore, the endothelial differentiation of HDPSCs was examined by using a capillary sprouting assay and by assessing CD31 expression. Results: Hispidulin significantly enhanced the osteo/odontogenic differentiation of HDPSCs with increased expression of osteo/odontogenic differentiation markers. Hispidulin increased the migration of HDPSCs, which was mediated by the upregulation of C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4). The treatment of HDPSCs with hispidulin enhanced the differentiation of HDPSCs into endothelial cells, as evidenced by increased capillary sprouting and endothelial marker expression. In addition, we demonstrated that hispidulin activated the ERK1/2 signaling, and its inhibition by U0126 significantly suppressed the hispidulin-induced endothelial differentiation of HDPSCs. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that hispidulin effectively promotes the osteo/odontogenic and endothelial differentiation, and migration of HDPSCs. These results suggest that hispidulin may have potential therapeutic applications in dental pulp regeneration and tissue engineering.

Potential plausible role of Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells for diabetic bone regeneration

This letter addresses the review titled "Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells: Future regenerative medicine for clinical applications in mitigation of radiation injury". The review highlights the regenerative potential of Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs) and describes why WJ-MSCs will become one of the most probable stem cells for future regenerative medicine. The potential plausible role of WJ-MSCs for diabetic bone regeneration should be noticeable, which will provide a new strategy for improving bone regeneration under diabetic conditions.