Abstract
Background: Osteoporosis and bone fractures cause immobility, chronic pain and high patient care costs. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from postmenopausal women have a slower growth rate and osteogenic differentiation ability causing lower bone density and reduced fracture healing capacity compared to premenopausal women. Cellular movement and relocalization are necessary for many physiologic properties. Local MSCs from injured tissues and circulating MSCs aid in fracture healing. Cytokines and chemokines such as SDF-1 and its receptor CXCR4 play important roles in maintaining mobilization, trafficking and homing of stem cells from bone marrow to the site of injury. We investigated the effect of CXCR4 over-expression on the migration of MSCs from ovariectomised, normal and young rats.
Methods: MSCs were harvested from femora of young, normal and OVX rats, genetically modified to over-express CXCR4 and put in a Boyden chamber to establish their migration towards SDF-1. This was compared to the non-transfected stem cells.
Results and discussion: MSCs from OVX rats migrate significantly (p<0.05) less towards SDF1 (9±5%) compared to MSCs from normal (15±3%) and juvenile rats (25±4%). Cell transfected with CXCR4 migrated significantly more towards SDF-1 compared to non-transfected cells irrespective of whether these cells were from OVX (26.5±4%), young (47±17%) or normal (21±4%) rats. MSCs migration is impaired by age and osteoporosis and this may be associated with significant reduction in bone formation in osteoporotic patients. The migration of stem cells can be ameliorated by up regulating the CXCR4 levels which could possibly enhance fracture healing in osteoporotic patients.
Methods: MSCs were harvested from femora of young, normal and OVX rats, genetically modified to over-express CXCR4 and put in a Boyden chamber to establish their migration towards SDF-1. This was compared to the non-transfected stem cells.
Results and discussion: MSCs from OVX rats migrate significantly (p<0.05) less towards SDF1 (9±5%) compared to MSCs from normal (15±3%) and juvenile rats (25±4%). Cell transfected with CXCR4 migrated significantly more towards SDF-1 compared to non-transfected cells irrespective of whether these cells were from OVX (26.5±4%), young (47±17%) or normal (21±4%) rats. MSCs migration is impaired by age and osteoporosis and this may be associated with significant reduction in bone formation in osteoporotic patients. The migration of stem cells can be ameliorated by up regulating the CXCR4 levels which could possibly enhance fracture healing in osteoporotic patients.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | S225-S225 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Journal | Tissue Engineering - Part A |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue number | S1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Sept 2015 |
| Event | 4th TERMIS World Congress - Boston, United States Duration: 8 Sept 2015 → 11 Sept 2015 |