A cell surface‐reducing microenvironment induces early osteogenic commitment

Abstract

Stem cell‐based therapy has been highlighted as a potential avenue to promote tissue regeneration, where stimulation of stem cells to differentiate into the targeted cell type is essential. One of the factors that induce stem cells to differentiate is their surrounding microenvironment. In this study, the correlation between mild reductant and early osteogenic commitment was evaluated. A cell surface‐reducing microenvironment significantly silenced the transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β signaling pathway of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), followed by increased focal adhesion and inhibition of cell membrane protein dimerization. Furthermore, in vivo transplantation of MSCs exposed to the reducing microenvironment resulted in an early osteogenic commitment and neobone formation. Thus, these results highlight the potential of cell surface‐reducing microenvironment to influence early osteogenic commitment.

Cell Surface Modification-Mediated Primary Intestinal Epithelial Cell Culture Platforms for Assessing Host–Microbiota Interactions

“…1 . Free active thiol groups of both fibroblasts and IECs are induced by the reduction of disulfide bonds using the mild reductant TCEP as a powerful reducing agent that can break disulfide bonds within and between proteins, exposing sulfhydryl groups or thiols on the cell surface [ 35 , 36 ]. To optimize the generation of free thiol groups on cell surface, we varied TCEP concentrations in the range of 0 to 1 mM.…”