The Effect of Electromagnetic Fields on the Proliferation and the Osteogenic or Adipogenic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Modulated by Dexamethasone

摘要

Glucocorticoids (GCs) are commonly used to alleviate several types of inflammatory disorders. However, high-dose and long-term use can cause serious side effects such as osteonecrosis (ON) [Gebhard and Maibach, 2001; Liu et al., 2012] and osteoporosis [Dougherty, 2002; Duyvendak et al., 2011]. The underlying mechanisms are unclear. Despite studies that show low-dose GCs are positive regulators of bone formation in vitro or in vivo experiments [Kalak et al., 2009; Azuma et al., 2010]; they clearly inhibit bone formation in clinical therapy. Some researchers reported that GCs can induce adipogenic differentiation in bone marrow mesenchymal cells and can suppress their proliferation [Lin et al., 2010]. Other data show an increase of lipid deposition in bone marrow in steroid-associated bone loss diseases [Meunier et al., 1971].