Effects of PD98059 on the differentiation from mesenchymal stem cells to osteoblasts

AIM: To investigate the effects of PD98059 on the differentiation from mesenchymal stem cells to osteoblasts.METHODS: hMSC were separated from human marrow and expanded in cuture medium. hMSC were induced with dexamethasone, β-glycerophosphate, vitamin C which acted as osteoblast differentiation inducer. PD98059 was added into the osteoblasts induction medium. The cells were assayed with cell morphology, alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity and calcium deposition. RESULTS: The isolated cultured MSC comprised a single phenotypic population and displayed a fibroblast-like morphology. After induced with osteoblasts induction medium, the cells showed changes in cell morphology from spindle-shape to cuboidal and polygonal. The AP activity increased gradually and reached the peak in 12 days, then decreased. Many scattered tangerice calcium nodes were observed. PD 98059 significantly inhibited AP activity and calcium deposition in a dose-dependent manner. A striking observation of the present study was that a few adipocytes appeared in cultures that were treated with PD 98059 and osteogenic differentiation medium. CONCLUSION: These results indicated that osteogenic diferentiation from the hMSCs was related to the activation of the ERK.