Bone Marrow Cells from Normal and Ovariectomized Rats Respond Differently to Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor and Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 Treatmentin Vitro

rhPDGF-BB promotes proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells from streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats through ERK pathway

Management of nonunion fracture and massive segmental bone defects in diabetes remains a challenging clinical problem. Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) are crucial for bone remodeling and hold promise for bone regeneration. However, we have showed previously that diabetes can affect the proliferation and osteogenic potential of BMSCs adversely and a strategy to attenuate the impaired functions of BMSCs is required. Platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) plays an important role in bone formation. However, little information is available about its effect on diabetic BMSCs. In this study, BMSCs were isolated from streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. After treatment with recombinant human PDGF-BB (rhPDGF-BB), diabetic BMSCs demonstrated enhanced cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation based on increased expressions of osteogenic genes (Runx2, alkaline phosphatase, and osteocalcin) and Runx2 protein, as well as upregulated alkaline phosphatase activity and mineralization. Furthermore, blocking extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK) pathway by inhibitor PD98059 repressed the enhanced proliferation and osteogenic differentiation in diabetic BMSCs induced by rhPDGF-BB. Together, these results indicated that rhPDGF-BB stimulates proliferation and osteogenic differentiation partially through ERK pathway in diabetic BMSCs. Therefore, modulation of diabetic BMSCs could augment BMSCs function affected by diabetes and holds significance for future strategies to treat diabetic bone complications.

10(-7) m 17β-oestradiol enhances odonto/osteogenic potency of human dental pulp stem cells by activation of the NF-κB pathway

OBJECTIVES

Oestrogen has been proven to significantly enhance osteogenic potency, while oestrogen deficiency usually leads to impaired osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. However, little is known concerning direct effects of oestrogen on differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this study, human DPSCs were isolated and treated with 10(-7)  m 17β-oestradiol (E2). Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) assay and alizarin red staining were performed.

RESULTS

Alkaline phosphatase and alizarin red showed that E2 treatment significantly enhanced ALP activity and mineralization ability of DPSCs, but had no effect on cell proliferation. Real-time RT-PCR and western blot assay demonstrated that odonto/osteogenic markers (ALP, RUNX2/RUNX2, OSX/OSX, OCN/OCN and DSPP/DSP) were significantly upregulated in the cells after E2 treatment. Moreover, phosphorylation of cytoplasmic IκBα/P65 and expression of nuclear P65 were enhanced in a time-dependent manner following E2 treatment, suggesting activation of NF-κB signaling. Conversely, inhibition of the NF-κB pathway suppressed E2-mediated upregulation of odonto/osteogenic markers, indicating that the NF-κB pathway was pivotal for E2-mediated differentiation.

CONCLUSION

These findings provide evidence that 10(-7)  m 17β-oestradiol promoted odonto/osteogenic differentiation of human DPSCs via activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway.

Relationship between the extent of lipid substitution on poly(L-lysine) and the DNA delivery efficiency

Poly(L-lysine) (PLL) is a commonly used polymer for nonviral gene delivery. However, the polymer exhibits significant toxicity and is not very effective for transgene expression. To enhance the gene delivery efficiency of the polymer, we imparted an amphiphilic property to PLL by substituting approximately 10% of epsilon-NH2 with several endogenous lipids of variable chain lengths (lipid carbon chain ranging from 8 to 18). Lipid-modified PLL with high molecular weight (approximately 25 vs 4 kDa) was found to be more effective in delivering plasmid DNA intracellularly in clinically relevant bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC). For lipid-substituted 25 kDa PLL, a correlation between the extent of lipid substitution and the plasmid DNA delivery efficiency was obtained. Additionally, transgene expression by BMSC significantly increased (20-25%) when amphiphilic PLLs were used for plasmid delivery as compared to native PLL and the commercial transfection agent Lipofectamine-2000. The transfection efficiency of the polymers was positively correlated with the extent of lipid substitution. The amphiphilic polymers were able to modify the cells up to 7 days after transfection, after which the expression was decreased to background levels within 1 week. We conclude that lipid-substituted PLL can be used effectively as a nonviral carrier for DNA, and the extent of lipid substitution was an important determinant of gene delivery.

In vitro and in vivo evidence for stimulation of bone resorption by an EP4 receptor agonist and basic fibroblast growth factor: Implications for their efficacy as bone anabolic agents

Prostaglandin E2 receptor subtype 4 agonists (EP4A) and basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF2) stimulate bone formation, but their effects on bone resorption are controversial. To provide additional insight into the skeletal effects of EP4A and FGF2, their regulation of expression of genes associated with bone formation and resorption in aged ovariectomized (OVX) rats and in cultured mouse bone marrow cells was determined. RNA was isolated from lumbar vertebrae of OVX rats (16 months of age) treated daily for 3 weeks with FGF2 or EP4A and processed for quantitative real time-PCR analyses. mRNA expression for the receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand (RANKL) and cathepsin K (CTSK), but not osteoprotegerin (OPG), were upregulated by both FGF2 and EP4A. Addition of FGF2 and EP4A to the medium of cultured mouse bone marrow cells increased the formation of tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) positive cells, upregulated the expression of RANKL and CTSK, and downregulated expression for OPG. EP4A also increased the formation of actin rings, an indicator of osteoclast activation, in a dose dependent manner in osteoclasts cultured on bone slices and triggered the formation of pits as revealed by a pitting assay. Gene expression for osterix (OSX) and IGF-2, genes associated with bone formation, was significantly greater in FGF2-treated OVX rats compared with EP4A-treated OVX rats. These findings at the molecular level are consistent with previous tissue-level histomorphometric findings, and at the doses tested, support the contention that FGF2 has a stronger bone anabolic effect than EP4A. The results of these in vivo and in vitro analyses clarify the effects of FGF2 and EP4A on bone formation and resorption, and provide insight into differences in the efficacy of two potential bone anabolic agents for restoration of lost bone mass in the osteopenic, estrogen-deplete skeleton.

Palmitic acid substitution on cationic polymers for effective delivery of plasmid DNA to bone marrow stromal cells

Nonviral gene carriers are actively explored in gene therapy due to safety concerns of the viral carriers. To design effective gene carriers for modification of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC), an important cell phenotype for clinical application of gene therapy, cationic polymers polyethyleneimine (PEI), and poly-L-Lysine (PLL) were substituted with palmitic acid (PA) via amide linkages. Depending on the reaction conditions, PEI and PLL was substituted with 2.2-5.2 and 13.4-16.2 PA per polymer chain. The PA substituted polymers displayed slightly lower binding efficiency towards a plasmid containing Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein (pEGFP) in an agarose gel binding assay. The cell binding of PLL-PA, but not PEI-PA, was particularly enhanced, resulting in higher percentage of the cells displaying a significant polymer uptake. pEGFP delivery into the BMSC was also significantly increased with the PLL-PA (vs. PLL), but not PEI-PA (vs. PEI). The transfection efficiency of PLL-PA was significantly higher ( approximately fivefold) than the unmodified polymer. We conclude that PA substitution on PLL provides an effective carrier for transfection of primary cells derived from the bone marrow.

Osteogenic Response of Bone Marrow Stromal Cells from Normal and Ovariectomized Rats Treated with a Low Dose of Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor

Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is a potent mitogen that exhibits stimulatory effects on bone tissue regeneration. To gain further insight into the potential of bFGF for systemic therapy in osteoporosis, we investigated the responsiveness of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) explanted from 7-month-old normal and ovariectomized (OVX) rats that were intravenously treated with a low dose of bFGF (25 microg/kg) for 2 weeks. The BMSCs were obtained using femoral aspiration and maintained in an osteogenic medium. The amount of cells recovered from bFGF-treated rats was lower than that from saline-treated rats, and proliferation of the cells was markedly less for the bFGF-treated rats. The BMSCs from the bFGF-treated rats also showed lower levels of specific alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity (ALP/deoxyribonucleic acid) and mineralization. Expression of the extracellular matrix proteins critical for mineralization, in particular osteopontin, was greater for bFGF-treated cells from both types of animals in the first week of culture, after which the expression of all markers significantly declined. Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry analyses of the tibiae showed an increase in bone mineral density after bFGF treatment only for OVX rats. We conclude that osteoprogenitor cells were depleted from the marrow of bFGF-treated rats, most likely because of the stimulatory effect of bFGF on bone formation.

A comparison of the effectiveness of cationic polymers poly-L-lysine (PLL) and polyethylenimine (PEI) for non-viral delivery of plasmid DNA to bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC)

Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) represent an important cell phenotype for pursuit of successful gene therapy. Non-viral methods to enable expression of exogenous genes in BMSC will accelerate clinical application of gene therapy, without the concerns associated with the viral means of gene transfer. Towards this end, this study investigated the potential of cationic polymers poly-L-lysine (PLL) and branched polyethylenimine (PEI) as gene carriers for modification of BMSC. Both polymers rapidly (approximately 30 min) condensed a 4.2 kb Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein (pEGFP-N2) plasmid into 100-200 nm particles. PLL and PEI were both readily internalized with BMSC with >80% of BMSC exhibiting polymer uptake by flow cytometric analysis. The relative uptake of PEI, however, was significantly higher as compared to the PLL. The majority of the BMSC (>60%) exhibited nuclear presence of the polymers as analyzed by fluorescent microscopy. Although both polymers were able to deliver the pEGFP-N2 into the cells under microscopic evaluation, only a small fraction of the cells (<10%) displayed nuclear localization of the plasmid. Consistent with better uptake, PEI gave a higher delivery of pEGFP-N2 into the BMSC, which resulted in a more sustained expression of the model gene EGFP in short-term (7-day) culture. We conclude that both PLL and PEI readily displayed cellular uptake, but PEI was more effective in delivering plasmid DNA intracellularly, which was likely the underlying basis for a more sustained gene expression.

RGD Conjugation to Polyethyleneimine Does Not Improve DNA Delivery to Bone Marrow Stromal Cells

Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) modified with therapeutic genes are being actively pursued for gene therapy protocols. To develop safe and effective nonviral methods for BMSC modification, the cationic polymer polyethyleneimine (PEI) has been utilized to condense plasmid DNA for intracellular delivery. This study was conducted to explore the feasibility of increasing the PEI's effectiveness by coupling integrin-binding arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) peptides to the polymer. BMSC from rats were isolated and expanded in culture for gene transfer studies. In contrast to our expectations, RGD-conjugated PEI did not exhibit an enhanced binding to BMSC. This was the case where the peptides were conjugated to PEI by short, disulfide linkages or long poly(ethylene glycol) linkages. Using a reporter gene for the enhanced green fluorescent protein, the transfection efficiency of RGD-conjugated PEI was also lower than the delivery by the native PEI, which exhibited equivalent transfection efficiency to that of an adenovirus. We conclude that native PEI was sufficient for the transformation of BMSC and that coupling of the integrin-binding RGD-peptides did not improve the effectiveness of this polymer for BMSC transfection.

In vitro osteogenic response of rat bone marrow cells to bFGF and BMP-2 treatments

Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) are actively pursued for stimulation of bone formation. To assess their promise for systemic therapy of osteoporosis, we ascertained the effects of bFGF and BMP-2 on bone marrow cells in vitro. Bone marrow cells were obtained from young (8 weeks) and adult (32 weeks) rats by femoral aspiration and were exposed to osteogenic medium (ie, basal medium with 10 mM beta-glycerolphosphate and 100 nM dexamethasone) containing the growth factors. The cell viability in osteogenic medium was reduced after 3 weeks but not if the concentration of beta-glycerolphosphate/dexamethasone was reduced to 3 mM/30 nM. Unlike BMP-2, bFGF at 2-50 ng/mL was capable of enhancing long-term cell viability. Continuous treatment of bone marrow cells for 3 weeks resulted in dose-dependent stimulation of mineralization by BMP-2, but not by bFGF, whose activity was optimal at 2-10 ng/mL. To explore the effect of short-term exposure, bone marrow cells were treated with growth factors for 1 week and subsequent mineralization was investigated. BMP-2 exposure increased the extent of mineralization, but bFGF was not effective after the short exposure. We concluded bFGF was more potent (ie, required lower concentration) for stimulating osteogenic parameters, but BMP-2 effects were lasting on the bone marrow cells.