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Effects of Tanshinone IIA on osteogenic differentiation of mouse bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells

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Abstract

Tanshinone IIA (TSA) is a lipophilic diterpene purified from the Chinese herb Danshen, which exhibits potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Effect of TSA remains largely uninvestigated on the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs), which are widely used in cell-based therapy of bone diseases. In the present study, both ALP activity at day 7 and calcium content at day 24 were upregulated during the osteogenesis of mouse BM-MSCs treated with TSA (1 and 5 μM), demonstrating that it promoted the osteogenesis at both early and late stages. We found that TSA promoted osteogenesis and inhibited osteoclastogenesis, evident by RT-PCR analysis of osteogenic marker gene expressions. However, osteogenesis was inhibited by TSA at 20 μM. We further revealed that TSA (1 and 5 μM) upregulated BMP and Wnt signaling. Co-treatment with Wnt inhibitor DKK-1 or BMP inhibitor noggin significantly decreased the TSA-promoted osteogenesis, indicating that upregulation of BMP and Wnt signaling plays a significant role and contributes to the TSA-promoted osteogenesis. Of clinical interest, our study suggests TSA as a promising therapeutic strategy during implantation of BM-MSCs for a more effective treatment of bone diseases.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Wuxi Second Hospital, 68 Zhongshan Road, Wuxi, 214001, China

    Kejun Qian, Huazhong Xu, Teng Dai & Keqing Shi

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  1. Kejun Qian
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  2. Huazhong Xu
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  3. Teng Dai
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  4. Keqing Shi
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Correspondence to Keqing Shi.

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ESM 1

ESM 1 file contains analysis of cell viability, ROS production under TSA treatment. (DOCX 166 kb)

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Qian, K., Xu, H., Dai, T. et al. Effects of Tanshinone IIA on osteogenic differentiation of mouse bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch Pharmacol 388, 1201–1209 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00210-015-1154-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00210-015-1154-x

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