Ectoderm mesenchymal stem cells promote osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells by targeting sonic hedgehog signaling pathway

Background Despite their high repair capability, bone defects still present a major challenge in orthopedic tissue engineering. Osteoblast differentiation is central to the treatment of bone defects. Methods and results We used nasal mucosal-derived ectoderm mesenchymal stem cells (EMSCs) to promote osteogenic differentiation by co-culturing MC3T3-E1 cells. Our results showed that MC3T3-E1/EMSCs co-culture upregulated bone-related proteins and transglutaminase 2 (TG2) and increased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and bone nodule formation relative to controls. Furthermore, our results showed that EMSC-derived sonic hedgehog (Shh) accounted for the enhanced MC3T3-E1 differentiation because inhibiting Shh signaling substantially reduced osteogenic differentiation. Conclusion Altogether, these results suggest that EMSCs differentiated into osteoblast cells and supported MC3T3-E1 differentiation. Thus, EMSCs may be a promising cell source for treating bone-related diseases.