Cytokines emxpression in the supernatant of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells under inflammatory microenvironment and its effects on osteogenic differentiation

ObjectiveTo investigate the expression level of cytokines in the supernatant of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(BMMSCs) under inflammatory microenvironment, and its effects on the osteogenic differentiation of BMMSCs.

MethodsWestern blotting was used to detect the expression levels of osteogenic proteins in BMMSCs cultured under normal and inflammatory environment. The expression levels of different cytokines in the supernatant of BMMSCs under normal and inflammatory environment were detected by ELISA, and the content change of each cytokine was compared between normal and inflammatory environment. The expression levels of osteogenic differentiation-related proteins in BMMSCs in each group were detected under the adding cytokines to normal environment.

ResultsThe osteogenic ability of BMMSCs in inflammatory environment was not significantly decreased compared with normal environment. The results of ELISA showed that the expression levels of IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β, TGF-β1 and TGF-β2 in inflammatory environment were higher than those in normal environment(P < 0.01). After the different cytokines were added to the normal environment, the expression levels of osteogenesis-related proteins in BMMSCs induced by TGF-β significantly increased.

ConclusionsThe TGF-β1 secreted by BMMSCs in an inflammatory environment is mainly involved in the process of osteogenic differentiation.