INTRODUCTION Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is characterized by synovial inflammation, followed by hyperplastic changes of the synovium, and destruction of articular cartilage along with underlying bone. This hyperplastic process is the result of inflammation-induced activation of NF-κB, which may be accompanied by decreased osteogenic differentiation of synovial mesenchymal progenitors an...

Interaction between osteoclasts and osteoblasts is known to play critical roles in bone formation. However, the biological significance of this interaction remains incompletely understood. This study aimed to investigate the early-stage effects of osteoclasts on the differentiation of murine osteoblasts. Osteoclasts were isolated from mouse bone marrow, and osteoblasts were harvested from neona...

Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) has been recommended for various uses in endodontics. To understand the effects of MTA on alveolar bone, we examined whether MTA induces osteoblastic differentiation using MC3T3-E1 cells. MTA enhanced mineralization concomitant with alkaline phosphatase activity in a dose- and time-dependent manner. MTA increased production of collagens (Type I and Type III) and...

It has long been recognized that spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to a loss of bone mineral. However, the mechanisms of bone loss after SCI remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate whether SCI causes a shift in skeletal balance between osteoblastogenesis and adipogenesis. Eighty male Sprague-Dawley rats at 6 weeks of age were randomly divided into two groups: sham-operat...

Osteoblasts express two key molecules for osteoclast differentiation, receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG), a soluble decoy receptor for RANKL. RANKL induces osteoclastogenesis, while OPG inhibits it by blocking the binding of RANKL to RANK, a cellular receptor of RANKL. OPG-deficient (OPG-/-) mice exhibit severe alveolar bone loss with enhanced bone resorption. ...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of the petroleum ether extract of Cissus quadrangularis on the proliferation rate of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, the differentiation of marrow mesenchymal stem cells into osteoblasts (osteoblastogenesis) and extracellular matrix calcification. This study also aimed to determine the additive effect of osteogenic media and Cissus quadrangularis on prolife...