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Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Isolation and Cultivation of Mandibular Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Rats
Published on: August 25, 2020
[Icariin promotes osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow stromal cells in vitro]
Yuankun Zhai1, Baofeng Ge, Huiping Ma
1Institute of Orthopaedics, Lanzhou General Hospital, Lanzhou 730050, China. zhaiyk1984@163.com
Objective:
To investigate the effects of icariin on the osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow stromal cells (rBMSCs).
Method:
rBMSCs were cultured by adherence screening method. Icariin was supplemented into the culture at 1 x 10(-5) mol x L(-1). The osteogenic differentiation markers including alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, CFU-F(ALP) and mineralized bone modulus were compared between the icariin-supplemented group and the control group. Total RNA was isolated and the gene expression of bFGF, IGF-1, Osterix(OSX) and Runx-2 was investigated by RT Real-time PCR.
Result:
Icariin significantly improved ALP activity, CFU-F(ALP) amounts and mineralized modulus. It also can enhance the mRNA level of bFGF, IGF-1, Osterix and Runx-2.
Conclusion:
Icariin enhances the osteogenic differentiation of rBMSCs significantly, which suggested that icariin has the potentiality to be a new drug of anti-osteoporosis or fracture healing.

