The cyclohexapeptide natural product dianthin G promotes osteoblast (bone-forming cell) proliferation in vitro at nanomolar concentrations, and is therefore considered a promising candidate for the treatment of osteoporosis. An Nα-methyl amide bond scan of dianthin G was performed to probe the effect of modifying amide bonds on osteoblast proliferation.
Bone marrow lesions in hip osteoarthritis are characterized by increased bone turnover and enhanced angiogenesis
This study indicates that BML are characterized by increased bone turnover, vascularity and angiogenesis in keeping with it being a reparatory process. Thus, the water signal, which is the hallmark of BML on MRI, is most probably reflecting increased tissue vascularity accompanying increased remodeling activity.
Morc3 mutant mice exhibit reduced cortical area and thickness, accompanied by altered haematopoietic stem cells niche and bone cell differentiation
RBP-J–Regulated miR-182 Promotes TNF-α–Induced Osteoclastogenesis
Increased osteoclastogenesis is responsible for osteolysis, which is a severe consequence of inflammatory diseases associated with bone destruction, such as rheumatoid arthritis and periodontitis. The mechanisms that limit osteoclastogenesis under inflammatory conditions are largely unknown. We previously identified transcription factor RBP-J as a key negative regulator that restrains TNF-α–induced osteoclastogenesis and inflammatory bone resorption. In this study, we tested whether RBP-J suppresses inflammatory osteoclastogenesis by regulating the expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) important for this process. Using high-throughput sequencing of miRNAs, we obtained the first, to our knowledge, genome-wide profile of miRNA expression induced by TNF-α in mouse bone marrow–derived macrophages/osteoclast precursors during inflammatory osteoclastogenesis.
Outstanding Mechanical Response and Bone Regeneration Capacity of Robocast Dilute Magnesium-doped Wollastonite Scaffolds in Critical Size Bone Defect
The regeneration and repair of damaged load-bearing segmental bone requires considerable mechanical strength for the artificial implants. The ideal biomaterials should also facilitate the production of porous implants with high bioactivity desirable for stimulating new bone growth. Here we developed a new mechanically strong, highly bioactive, dilute magnesium-doped wollastonite (CaSiO3-Mg; CSi-Mg) porous scaffold by the robocasting technique. The sintered scaffolds had interconnected pores of 350 μm in size and over 50% porosity with appreciable compressive strength (>110 MPa), 5−10 times higher than those of pure CSi and β-TCP porous ceramics. ...
Free Fatty Acid Receptor 4 (GPR120) Stimulates Bone Formation and Suppresses Bone Resorption in the Presence of Elevated n-3 Fatty Acid Levels
Free fatty acid receptor 4 (FFA4) has been reported to be a receptor for n-3 fatty acids (FAs). Although n-3 FAs are beneficial for bone health, a role of FFA4 in bone metabolism has been rarely investigated. We noted that FFA4 was more abundantly expressed in both mature osteoclasts and osteoblasts than their respective precursors, and that it was activated by docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). FFA4 knockout (Ffar4-/-) and wild-type mice exhibited similar bone masses when fed on a normal diet. Since fat-1 transgenic (fat-1Tg+) mice endogenously converting n-6 to n-3 FAs contain high n-3 FA levels, we crossed Ffar4-/- and fat-1Tg+ mice over 2 generations to generate 4 genotypes of mice littermates: Ffar4+/+;fat-1Tg-, Ffar4+/+;fat-1Tg+, Ffar4-/-;fat-1Tg-, and Ffar4-/-;fat-1Tg+. ...