Adipokines regulate mesenchymal stem cell osteogenic differentiation

Newswise — Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can differentiate into various tissue cell types including bone, adipose, cartilage, and muscle. Among those, osteogenic differentiation of MSCs has been widely explored in many bone tissue engineering studies. Moreover, the conditions and methods of inducing osteogenic differentiation of MSCs are continuously advancing. Recently, with the gradual recognition of adipokines, the research on their involvement in different pathophysiological processes of the body is also deepening including lipid metabolism, inflammation, immune regulation, energy disorders, and bone homeostasis. At the same time, the role of adipokines in the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs has been gradually described more completely. Therefore, this paper reviewed the evidence of the role of adipokines in the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs, emphasizing bone formation and bone regeneration.

Key Words: Mesenchymal stem cells, Adipokines, Adipose tissue, Osteogenic differentiation, Osteogenesis, Bone regeneration

Core Tip: Bone tissue supports and protects the organs of the human body. There is a close relationship between the immune system and bone homeostasis. Adipose tissue is an essential accessory tissue around bone tissue, which regulates bone homeostasis through the secretion of adipocytokines. There are many types of adipokines, but only some have been studied in detail. Different adipokines affect the behavior and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells under different local microenvironments and surrounding inflammation, thus coordinating and participating in the regulation of bone homeostasis.

• Citation: Xu ZH, Xiong CW, Miao KS, Yu ZT, Zhang JJ, Yu CL, Huang Y, Zhou XD. Adipokines regulate mesenchymal stem cell osteogenic differentiation. World J Stem Cells 2023; 15(6): 502-513
• URL: https://www.wjgnet.com/1948-0210/full/v15/i6/502.htm
• DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4252/wjsc.v15.i6.502