Trauma and disease frequently result in fractures or critical sized bone defects and their management at times necessitates bone grafting. The process of bone healing or regeneration involves intricate network of molecules including bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs). BMPs belong to a larger superfamily of proteins and are very promising and intensively studied for in the enhancement of bone healing. More than 20 types of BMPs have been identified but only a subset of BMPs can induce de novo bone formation. Many research groups have shown that BMPs can induce differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells and stem cells into osteogenic cells which are capable of producing bone. This review introduces BMPs and discusses current advances in preclinical and clinical application of utilizing various biomaterial carriers for local delivery of BMPs to enhance bone regeneration.
Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of extracellular proteases associated with extracellular matrix remodeling. They are involved in many physiological and reparative processes. MMPs can break down all extracellular constituents; therefore, their expression is very tightly regulated and their abnormal activity or over production has been linked to many diseases including multiple sclerosis (MS) which is a leading cause of non-traumatic disability in young adults in North America. Recently many studies, both in animals and humans, have been conducted to better elucidate the underlying causes, mechanisms and pathophysiology of MS. In this review, we discuss the potential role of pathological upregulation of MMPs in MS and future challenges which if properly addressed might help in development of potential cure for this disease.
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