Regulation of osteopontin expression by type I collagen in preosteoblastic UMR201 cells

Sika Deer Antler Collagen Type I-Accelerated Osteogenesis in Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells via the Smad Pathway

Deer antler preparations have been used to strengthen bones for centuries. It is particularly rich in collagen type I. This study aimed to unravel part of the purported bioremedial effect of Sika deer antler collagen type I (SDA-Col I) on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. The results suggest that SDA-Col I might be used to promote and regulate osteoblast proliferation and differentiation. SDA-Col I might potentially provide the basis for novel therapeutic strategies in the treatment of bone injury and/or in scaffolds for bone replacement strategies. Finally, isolation of SDA-Col I from deer antler represents a renewable, green, and uncomplicated way to obtain a biomedically valuable therapeutic.

A novel fibrous scaffold composed of electrospun porous poly(ɛ-caprolactone) fibers for bone tissue engineering

In this study, porous poly(ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL) fiber-based fibrous scaffolds are created using a suitable ratio of dimethyl chloride and acetone by using electrospinning. With the porous structure, it induced CaP particles to easily coat on the fibers after immersion in simulated body fluid solution. The morphology of the electrospun membranes was observed using scanning electron microscopic observation. The results showed that the CaP coated successfully, as examined by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopic techniques and mass comparative analysis. The wettability of the coated fibrous scaffolds was tested using contact angle analysis. The in vitro cellular proliferation and cell interaction with fibrous scaffolds were investigated. In addition, the in vivo bone formation capacity of fibrous scaffolds including the non-porous (PCL-DCM), porous (PCL-DCM/Ace) and CaP coating on PCL/DCM-Ace for 2, 4, 8 and 12 h immersed in SBF solution were also investigated. By measuring the in vitro results, we verified that porous PCL fiber-based fibrous scaffold after 12 h of immersion in simulated body fluid (PCL-DCM/Ace-12) was excellent for cell interaction, growth and proliferation. The in vivo analyses showed that the PCL-DCM/Ace-12 fibrous scaffold enabled greater acceleration of bone formation than PCL/DCM and PCL/DCM-Ace fibrous scaffolds.

Hybrid hydroxyapatite nanoparticles-loaded PCL/GE blend fibers for bone tissue engineering

In order to augment bone formation, a new biodegradable scaffold system was fabricated using different ratios of hydroxyapatite (HAp) blended with synthetic polymer polycaprolactone (PCL) and natural polymer gelatin (GE) followed by electrospinning method. Three different concentrations of HAp were used in PCL/GE to obtain a blend of 10, 30, and 50% (w/v) HAp-PCL/GE. These HAp-loaded PCL/GE blends were then compared with PCL/GE blends by different mechanical and biological in vitro and in vivo studies to understand the applicability of the system. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, and tensile strength measurement were done to obtain physical properties. Fifty Percent HAp-PCL/GE blends possessed the highest mechanical strength. In vitro cytotoxicity and proliferation of osteoblast cells on the PCL/GE and HAp-PCL/GE scaffolds were examined and shown that addition of HAp in PCL/GE was beneficial by increasing cell viability (>85%) proliferation and cell-surface attachment. Expression of collagen and osteopontin was also found higher in 50% HAp-PCL/GE blends than the others. On the other hand, in vivo bone formation was examined using rat models and increased bone formation was observed in 50% HAp-PCL/GE blends within 6 weeks. Based on the combined results of this study, HAp-PCL/GE membranes were found to hold great promise for use in tissue engineering applications, especially in bone tissue engineering.

The proliferation and phenotypic expression of human osteoblasts on tantalum metal

Tantalum (Ta) is increasingly used in orthopaedics, although there is a paucity of information on the interaction of human osteoblasts with this material. We investigated the ability of Ta to support the growth and function of normal human osteoblast-like cells (NHBC). Cell responses to polished and textured Ta discs were compared with responses to other common orthopaedic metals, titanium and cobalt-chromium alloy, and tissue culture plastic. No consistent differences, that could be attributed to the different metal substrates or to the surface texture, were found in several measured parameters. Attachment of NHBC to each substrate was similar, as was cell morphology, as determined by confocal microscopy. Cell proliferation was slightly faster on plastic than on Ta at 3 days, but by 7 days neither the absolute cell numbers, nor the number of cell divisions, was different between Ta and the other substrates. No consistent, substrate-dependent differences were seen in the expression of a number of mRNA species corresponding to the pro-osteoclastic or the osteogenic activity of osteoblasts. No substrate-dependent differences were seen in the extent of in vitro mineralisation by NHBC. These results indicate that Ta is a good substrate for the attachment, growth and differentiated function of human osteoblasts.

Effect of retinoic acid on osteopontin expression in rat clonal dental pulp cells

We studied the effect of retinoic acid on osteopontin synthesis and the mRNA expression in rat clonal dental pulp cells, RPC-C2A. An immunoprecipitation assay clarified that retinoic acid caused an increase in phosphorylated osteopontin synthesis that was dose-dependent, and marked increases were observed at retinoic acid concentrations of 10(-6) to 10(-5) M (1.7-fold). A Northern blotting analysis revealed a similar pattern of increase in osteopontin mRNA expression of up to 6.2-fold of control levels. Because osteopontin has an important role in the mineralization process, these results suggest that retinoic acid regulates mineralization, which takes place in the pulp cavity, including reparative dentin formation.

Casein kinase 2 phosphorylation of recombinant rat osteopontin enhances adhesion of osteoclasts but not osteoblasts

Osteopontin (OP) is a highly phosphorylated bone matrix protein and contains the RGD cell-binding motif, which mediates cell adhesion through integrin receptors that include alpha(v)beta3. Casein kinase 2 (CK2) is a factor-independent serine/threonine kinase, which may be the predominant physiologically relevant kinase for OP phosphorylation. This study was designed to examine the effects of unphosphorylated recombinant rat OP, and CK2-phosphorylated OP (P-OP), on the adhesion and function of mouse osteoclasts (OC) and osteoblast-like cells (UMR 201-10B and UMR 106-06) in vitro. OP significantly increased OC adhesion compared to plastic alone, and cell attachment was further increased at least twofold on OP phosphorylated with CK2. Attachment was dependent on the integrity of the RGD domain and was completely abolished in the presence of 1 mM RGD peptide. Neither CK2 phosphorylation of mutant OP, in which the RGD was converted to RGE or RAD, nor protein kinase C (PKC) phosphorylation of wild-type OP enhanced OC attachment. An antibody to the beta3 integrin subunit, but not anti-mouse CD44 antibody, specifically blocked the proportion of attachment due to phosphorylation of OP. Actin ring formation in OC was increased by plating cells onto OP, with no further increase by phosphorylation. Both OP and CK2-phosphorylated OP enhanced attachment of the two osteoblastic cell lines, compared to plastic, but in contrast to OCs, there was no significant difference with phosphorylation. Osteoblast attachment was totally blocked by 1 mM RGD peptide, but was not influenced by the beta3 integrin antibody. Plating of UMR 201-10B cells onto OP further increased retinoic acid-induced alkaline phosphatase expression. The results suggest that specific phosphorylation of OP is important for interaction with OCs, compared with osteoblastic cells, and that alternative integrins may be important in the interaction between osteoblastic cells and OP compared with OCs.

The LCC15-MB human breast cancer cell line expresses osteopontin and exhibits an invasive and metastatic phenotype

We have characterized the LCC15-MB cell line which was recently derived from a breast carcinoma metastasis resected from the femur of a 29-year-old woman. LCC15-MB cells are vimentin (VIM) positive, exhibit a stellate morphology in routine cell culture, and form penetrating colonies when embedded in three-dimensional gels of Matrigel or fibrillar collagen. They show high levels of activity in the Boyden chamber chemomigration and chemoinvasion assays, and like other invasive human breast cancer (HBC) cell lines, LCC15-MB cells activate matrix-metalloproteinase-2 in response to treatment with concanavalin A. In addition, these cells are tumorigenic when implanted subcutaneously in nude mice and recolonize bone after arterial injection. Interestingly, both the primary lesion and the bone metastasis from which LCC15-MB were derived, as well as the resultant cell line, abundantly express the bone matrix protein osteopontin (OPN). OPN is also expressed by the highly metastatic MDA-MB-435 cells, but not other invasive or noninvasive HBC cell lines. Expression of OPN is retained in the subcutaneous xenograft and intraosseous metastases of LCC15-MB as detected by immunohistochemistry. Both VIM and OPN expression have been associated with breast cancer invasion and metastasis, and their expression by the LCC15-MB cell line is consistent with its derivation from a highly aggressive breast cancer. These cells provide a useful model for studying molecular mechanisms important for breast cancer metastasis to bone and, in particular, the implication(s) of OPN and VIM expression in this process.

Nonenzymatic glycation of type I collagen modifies interaction with UMR 201-10B preosteoblastic cells

Advanced glycation endproduct (AGE), whose formation is accelerated on long lived extracellular matrix proteins in diabetes, is implicated in diabetic complications in various tissues. Type I collagen is the predominant matrix protein of bone and plays an important role in bone cell-matrix interactions. We have previously reported the accelerated accumulation of AGE collagen in bone tissue in diabetes mellitus (DM), in which reduced bone mineral density was observed. In addition, when cultures of mature primary rat osteoblasts were plated onto an in vitro AGE-modified collagen substrate, they showed altered cell functions, in terms of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, osteocalcin secretion, and nodule formation (J Bone Miner Res 11:931-937; 1996). To determine whether AGE collagen might also affect differentiation of preosteoblasts, we compared the effects of plating the preosteoblastic UMR 201-10B cell line onto AGE-modified collagen with plating onto unmodified collagen. The latter had been shown previously to promote differentiation of UMR 201 cells. We have also explored whether these effects might be partly mediated by the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) receptor. Growth of UMR 201-10B cells on a type I collagen substrate significantly inhibited cell growth and retinoic acid (RA)-induced upregulation of ALP activity, compared to cells on plastic. These inhibitory effects were reduced by prior glycation of collagen, in a dose-dependent manner with respect to AGE content. Unmodified collagen stimulated production of osteopontin mRNA, which was reduced by AGE modification to levels attained in cells on plastic. Growth on control collagen inhibited TGF-beta type II receptor binding in 10B cells, while this inhibition was reduced by AGE modification. These data suggest that glycation of collagen interferes with specific interaction(s) between UMR 201-10B cells and collagen. Based on our previous results in UMR 201 cells, these results would be compatible with the notion that glycated collagen has reduced ability to promote differentiation of preosteoblasts to mature osteoblasts. These data further suggest that collagen-mediated events in these cells may be at least in part mediated by regulation of the TGF-beta receptor expression.