Effect of curcumin on osteocalcin protein expression in osteogenic differentiated mesenchymal stem cells from rat bone marrow

Background: Curcumin (1,7-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione) is a phenolic natural product isolated from the rhizome of Curcuma longa (turmeric) and is now considered to take part in the regulation of bone remodeling. Therefore, the effect of curcumin on osteogenesis of MSCs warranted further evaluation. The bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) are heterogeneous population of cells with multilineage differentiation potential into osteoblast and adipogenic. Objective: The present study describes the effect of curcumin on osteocalcin (OCN) protein expression in rat BM-MSC. Material and methods: Rat BM-MSCs were isolated and treated with or without curcumin. Osteoblast differentiation was confirmed by Alizarin red staining. The osteocalcin protein expression was determined by western blot. Results: Western blot analysis showed that the level of OCN was increased in the treated cells with curcumin. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that curcumin, a naturally occurring compound can promote osteogenic differentiation of rADSCs. The findings of this study may offer strategy in the management of metabolic disorders related diseases such as osteoporosis.

Keywords:

curcumin , osteogenesis , osteocalcin , mesenchymal stem cell , western blot