Expression and Role of Periostin during Induction of Differentiation of Rat Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells into Vascular Smooth Muscle-like Cells In Vitro

Objective To investigate the expression of periostin during induction of differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(BMSCs) into vascular smooth muscle-like cells(VSMLCs) with platelet-derived growth factor(PDGF)-BB as well as the role of periostin in promoting the differentiation.Methods Rat BMSCs were isolated and cultured by whole bone marrow adherence method,of which the passage 2 were divided into two groups.The BMSCs in groupⅠwere differentiated into VSMLCs by induction with 50 ng / ml PDGF-BB,while those in groupⅡ into lipoid cells by induction with 1 μmol / L dexamethasone + 1 μmol / L insulin + 1 μmol / L indomethacin + 0.5 mmol / L 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine(IBMX),using rat pectoral large artery smooth muscle cells as positive control.The transcription levels of mRNAs of smooth muscle(SM)α-actin,smooth muscle myosin heavy chain(SM MHC),SM calponin and periostin were determined by RT-PCR 7 and 14 d after induction separately,while the expression level of periostin by Western blot.Results In groupⅠ,the expression levels of SM α-actin,SM MHC,SM calponin and periostin mRNAs as well as periostin protein 14 d were significantly higher than those 7 d after induction(P 0.05) while showed no significant difference with those in positive control group(P 0.05).However,no such expressions were observed in uninduced BMSCs or in group Ⅱ 14 d after induction.Conclusion PDGF-BB at a dosage of 50 ng / ml solely induced the differentiation of BMSCs into VSMLCs,in which periostin played an important role.