Silver nanoparticles promote osteogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells and improve bone fracture healing in osteogenesis mechanism mouse model.
The potential use of osteo-conducive biomaterials in the promotion of bone fracture healing has attracted wide attention. This study investigated if silver nanoparticles (AgNps) could promote the proliferation and osteogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and improve bone fracture healing. We showed that AgNps promoted MSCs' proliferation and osteogenic differentiation in vitro. Using a mouse femoral facture model, AgNps encapsulated in collagen promoted the formation of fracture callus, and induced early closure of the fracture gap. AgNps may promote the formation of the callus and the subsequent end joining of the fracture bone via multiple routes: (i) chemo-attraction of MSCs and fibroblasts to migrate to the fracture site; (ii) induction of the proliferation of MSCs; (iii) induction of osteogenic differentiation of MSCs via induction/activation of TGF-β/BMP signaling in MSCs. We concluded that AgNps might be beneficial as an adjunct treatment for bone fracture healing clinically.


BACKGROUND
Silver nanoparticles are widely used in wound management in the clinical setting. In this article, the authors demonstrated a novel application in that these nanoparticles were efficient in promoting osteoblastic differentiation in both in-vitro and in-vivo studies. The findings may provide a new treatment direction for bone fracture in the future.
Department of Surgery, LKS Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; Department of Surgery, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Centre, Guangzhou, China.
Ruizhong
R
Zhang
Department of Surgery, LKS Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Puiyan
P
Lee
Department of Surgery, LKS Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Vincent C H
VC
Lui
Department of Surgery, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Centre, Guangzhou, China.
Yan
Y
Chen
Department of Surgery, LKS Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Xuelai
X
Liu
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Chun Nam
CN
Lok
Department of Orthopaedics, LKS Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Michael
M
To
Department of Orthopaedics, LKS Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Kelvin W K
KW
Yeung
Department of Surgery, LKS Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. Electronic address: kkywong@hku.hk.
Kenneth K Y
KK
Wong
D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D005269:Femur / Q000187:drug effects / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology; D017102:Fracture Healing / Q000187:drug effects*; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D010006:Osteoblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D010012:Osteogenesis / Q000187:drug effects*; D012834:Silver / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D012834:Silver
Bone healing; Mouse mesenchymal stem cells; Osteogenesis; Silver nanoparticles