R-spondin (Rspo)s proteins are a new group of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling agonists. These signaling molecules are known to be involved in the developmental stages of skeletal system. Recent studies in various murine osteoblast models have proposed that Rspo 1 may interact with Wnt signaling pathway to induce differentiation in osteoblasts. Though findings in murine osteoblasts implicate a synerg...

In this study, we report on a group of complementary human osteoblast in vitro test methods for the preclinical evaluation of 3D porous titanium surfaces. The surfaces were prepared by additive manufacturing (electron beam melting [EBM]) and plasma spraying, allowing the creation of complex lattice surface geometries. Physical properties of the surfaces were characterized by SEM and profilometr...

Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-binding proteins (IGFBPs) either inhibit or enhance IGF-stimulated cellular effects. While inhibition occurs by sequestration of IGF from cell-surface receptors, the exact mechanism of IGF-enhancement remains undefined. Human osteoblast-like bone cells in culture secrete several IGF-binding proteins, one of which we have previously identified as IGFBP-5. In this...

Decreased bone formation contributes to the development of bone lesions in multiple myeloma (MM) patients. In this study, we have investigated the effects of myeloma cells on osteoblast formation and differentiation and the potential role of the critical osteoblast transcription factor RUNX2/CBFA1 (Runt-related transcription factor 2/core-binding factor Runt domain alpha subunit 1) in the inhib...

The last 5 yr have witnessed major progress in skeleton biology. One of these areas of progress has been the partial elucidation of the transcriptional mechanisms of osteoblast differentiation and their conservation between mouse and human. Cbfal, or runx2, a homolog of the Drosophila Runt protein serves both as the earliest transcriptional regulator of osteoblast differentiation and as control...

The effect of bradykinin on prostaglandin E 2 formation in cells from human trabecular bone has been studied. The cells responded to parathyroid hormone with enhanced cyclic AMP formation and were growing as cuboidal-shaped, osteoblast-like cells. In these isolated human osteoblast-like cells, bradykinin (1 #tool/l) caused a rapid (5 min) stimulation of prostaglandin E2 formation. This finding ...

Introduction: IIron oxide nanoparticles (IO NP) have an increasing number of biomedical applications. To date, the potential cytotoxicity of these particles remains an issue of debate. Little is known about the cellular interaction or toxic effects of IO NP on differentiation of stem cells. The aim of the present study was to investigate the possible toxic role of different doses of IO NP in di...