title: Panax notoginseng saponins promotes proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow stromal cells.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) is the main effective component of Panax notoginseng, have various pharmacologic activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and estrogen-like bioactivities, have been shown to be an effective agent on anti-osteoporosis. Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) play a crucial homeostatic role in skeletal modeling and remodeling due to their capability to differentiate into osteooblasts. Whether PNS has effect on osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs are unknown. This study was designed to investigate the effects of PNS on the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs in vitro.
  
  
  METHODS
  When BMSCs cultivated in the basal medium or the osteogenic induction medium (OS with or without PNS), cell proliferation was analyzed using an MTT assay, the mineralization was assessed using Alizarin red S staining, the alkaline phosphatase activity was measured using a commercial kit, the mRNA level of osteogenic gene and PPARγ2 gene were determined using RT-PCR, the protein level of PPARγ2 was analyzed by Western blotting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  BMSCs cultured in the basal medium with PNS caused a significant increase in proliferation. PNS treatment increased ALP activity, Alizarin red S staining and mRNA level of ALP, Cbfa 1, OC, and BSP, whereas decreased the mRNA level and protein expression of PPARγ2 during osteogenic induction. In addition, the effects of PNS treatment were dose-dependent relationship.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PNS could stimulate BMSCs proliferation and promote their osteogenic differentiation by up-regulation expression of osteogenic marker gene and down-regulation expression of adipogenic marker gene in a dose-dependent manner. Thus, PNS may play an important therapeutic role in osteoporosis patients by improving osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, The First Affiliated Hospital, Shantou University Medical College, 57 Chang Ping Road, Shantou, Guangdong 515041, China.
authors.forename: Xue-Dong
authors.initials: XD
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jian-Sheng
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Guo-Qing
authors.initials: GQ
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Dong-Yang
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Shi-Xin
authors.initials: SX
authors.lastname: Du
mesh_terms: D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D050657:Core Binding Factor alpha Subunits / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D058574:Integrin-Binding Sialoprotein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D015675:Osteocalcin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010012:Osteogenesis / Q000187:drug effects*; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D047495:PPAR gamma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D053723:Panax notoginseng / Q000737:chemistry*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D012503:Saponins / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents; D050657:Core Binding Factor alpha Subunits; D058574:Integrin-Binding Sialoprotein; D047495:PPAR gamma; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012503:Saponins; C406688:core binding factor alpha; D015675:Osteocalcin; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase