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Updated: May 28, 2026
Assessment of the Immunomodulatory Properties of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs)
Published on: December 24, 2015
[Effects of mycophenolic acid on human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells in vitro]
Wei-jie Cao1, Li-zhen Liu, Xiao-yu Lai
1Bone Marrow Transplantation Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China. caoweijie2003@126.com
Objective:
To investigate the effects of mycophenolic acid (MPA) on the proliferation and differentiation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).
Methods:
MSCs were treated with MPA at the concentration of 1 μ mol/L, 10 μ mol/L, 50 μ mol/L, and 100 μ mol/L, respectively. Cell proliferation was analyzed using CCK-8 method. Apoptosis was detected by PI/Annexin V assay kit. The mRNA expression of inosine-5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) in MSCs was analyzed by RT-PCR. Osteogenic differentiation was analyzed by Von Kossa staining, Ca(2+) quantification and real-time PCR.
Results:
In the range of 1 μ mol/L to 100 μ mol/L, MPA caused a significant subdued proliferation rate of MSCs in a concentration-and time-dependent manner by guanosine depletion, and PI/Annexin staining showed no apoptosis induced by MPA. RT-PCR results showed that MSCs expressed both IMPDH I and IMPDH II. von Kossa staining and Ca(2+) quantification indicated that MPA inhibited osteogenic differentiation of MSCs, and real-time PCR detected a dose-dependent decrease in expression of Osteopontin and BMP-2. Further investigation showed that MPA down-regulated the expression of Runx2 and Osterix.
Conclusion:
MPA can inhibit the proliferation of MSCs by guanosine depletion in a concentration-and time-dependent manner and inhibit the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs by down-regulation of the expression of Runx2 and Osterix.
