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Updated: Jan 12, 2026
Isolation and Enrichment of Human Adipose-derived Stromal Cells for Enhanced Osteogenesis
Published on: January 12, 2015
Astragalus Promotes Osteogenic Differentiation of hBMSCs and Alleviates Osteoporosis by Targeting SOX11 Via
Yuan Xiao1, Yong Li Situ2, Ting Ting Wang2
1Department of Pharmacy, Xingyi People's Hospital, Xingyi 562400, Guizhou, China;State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of TCM and New Drugs Research, International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development of Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE), College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, Guangdong, China.
Objective:
This study aimed to investigate the effect of Astragalus (AST) on osteoporosis (OP) and the downstream mechanisms.
Methods:
Human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) were induced to differentiate into osteogenic cells. After transfection with relevant plasmids, cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, and apoptosis were assessed. Alizarin red staining was used to detect calcium nodules in the cells, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining was used to detect ALP activity in the cells, and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and western blotting were used to determine RUNX2 and Osterix expression levels. An OP rat model was established using ovariectomy and micro-computed tomography scanning. Hematoxylin and eosin staining and Masson's trichrome staining were used to evaluate the pathological conditions of bone tissues, while immunohistochemistry was conducted to detect RUNX2 in bone tissues.
Results:
AST promoted the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs, reduced miR-181d-5p expression levels, and increased SOX11 expression levels. Restoring miR-181d-5p expression or reducing SOX11 expression levels reversed the effects of AST on the osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs. miR-181d-5p was found to target SOX11 in hBMSCs. AST improved OP in rats, and miR-181d-5p overexpression or SOX11 inhibition reversed the therapeutic effects of AST on OP in rats.
Conclusion:
AST promoted the osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs and alleviated OP by targeting SOX11 via miR-181d-5p.
