RETRACTED ARTICLE: Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) as a pro-osteogenic agent to enhance osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells from human bone marrow: an in vitro study

Abstract

The proliferation and osteogenic capacity of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) needs to be improved for their use in cell-based therapy for osteoporosis. (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), one of the green tea catechins, has been widely investigated in studies of osteoblasts and osteoclasts. However, no consensus on its role as an osteogenic inducer has been reached, possibly because of the various types of cell lines examined and the range of concentrations of EGCG used. In this study, the osteogenic effects of EGCG are studied in primary human bone-marrow-derived MSCs (hBMSCs) by detecting cell proliferation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and the expression of relevant osteogenic markers. Our results show that EGCG has a strong stimulatory effect on hBMSCs developing towards the osteogenic lineage, especially at a concentration of 5 μM, as evidenced by an increased ALP activity, the up-regulated expression of osteogenic genes and the formation of bone-like nodules. Further exploration has indicated that EGCG directes osteogenic differentiation via the continuous up-regulation of Runx2. The underlying mechanism might involve EGCG affects on osteogenic differentiation through the modulation of bone morphogenetic protein-2 expression. EGCG has also been found to promote the proliferation of hBMSCs in a dose-dependent manner. This might be associated with its antioxidative effect leading to favorable amounts of reactive oxygen species in the cellular environment. Our study thus indicates that EGCG can be used as a pro-osteogenic agent for the stem-cell-based therapy of osteoporosis.

Role of (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate in the osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells: An enhancer or an inducer?

“…As shown in Fig. 1, the rate of cell proliferation at day 3 following treatment with EGCG in the range of 0-10 µM was comparable with that in the positive control group; therefore, the drug was demonstrated to be non-toxic to the cells, which was in agreement with the previous (pilot) study (23). Although no statistically significant difference was observed between the groups on day 3, cell proliferation was evidently promoted by 5 µM EGCG between days 7 and 14.…”

“…EGCG, as the most abundant catechin and a major bioactive component of green tea (31), has been reported by a number of studies (19)(20)(21)(22)(23) to have an association with osteogenesis. However, the association is dependent on an osteogenic inducer, such as inductive media.…”

“…By contrast, EGCG has also been shown to induce mouse osteoclast-like cell apoptosis (21) and inhibit the formation of osteoclasts (22). A previous study (23) indicated that EGCG may be used as a pro-osteogenic agent for stem cell-based therapy in the treatment of osteoporosis, since EGCG promoted the osteogenic differentiation of primary human bone marrow MSCs (hBMSCs). Thus, EGCG was hypothesized to have the potential to promote osteogenesis.…”

Green Tea Polyphenols Protects Cochlear Hair Cells from Ototoxicity by Inhibiting Notch Signalling

“…In 2000, Fujiki et al [27] have suggested EGCG can inhibit the release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha causing the suppression of tumor promotion. Besides cancer and heart disease, lots of studies have reported EGCG can confer protection against other diseases, such as osteoporosis [28], liver and kidney damage [29], bacterial infection [30] and viral infection [31].…”

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“…Further research suggested that EGCG directs osteogenic differentiation through the upregulation of Runt-related transcription factor 2 in a continuous manner. [40] Another study reported that EGCG was able to augment osteogenesis along with other osteoinductive agents through increased expression of bone morphogenetic protein 2. In addition, EGCG was reported to have a positive effect on cell growth, suggesting its safety as a therapeutic agent.…”