Silencing miR-106b accelerates osteogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells and rescues against glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis by targeting BMP2

Osteoporosis is a serious health problem worldwide. MicroRNA is a post-transcriptional regulator of gene expression by either promoting mRNA degradation or interfering with mRNA translation of specific target genes. It plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. Here, we first demonstrated that miR-106b (miR-106b-5p) negatively regulated osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells in vitro. Then, we found that miR-106b expression increased in C57BL/6 mice with glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP), and that silencing of miR-106b signaling protected mice against GIOP through promoting bone formation and inhibiting bone resorption. At last, we showed that miR-106b inhibited osteoblastic differentiation and bone formation partly through directly targeting bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) both in vitro and in the GIOP model. Together, our findings have identified the role and mechanism of miR-106b in negatively regulating osteogenesis. Inhibition of miR-106b might be a potential new strategy for treating osteoporosis and bone defects.