Evaluation of the effect of osteoblasts from diabetic rats on the osteogenic potential of osteoblasts from non-diabetic rats

• Grant number: 16/21312-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2017
• End date: February 28, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Dentistry - Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Márcio Mateus Beloti
• Grantee: Pedro Flório
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia de Ribeirão Preto (FORP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease, highly prevalent in world population and resulting in hyperglycemia. Various complications are associated with DM, among them, the injury to bone tissue, with increased risk of fractures in patients with DM compared with people not affected by the disease. Therefore, DM is considered a global health problem that has attracted the attention of several research groups. In order to improve the quality of life of diabetic patients, a plethora of treatments have been proposed. In this scenario, cell therapy based on the use of both mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and/or osteoblasts (OBs) differentiated from these MSCs may represent a promising alternative to treat the bone structure damage caused by this disease. Thus, the objective of this project is to evaluate the influence of differentiated OBs from MSCs of non-diabetic rats (OBs-ND) on the osteogenic potential of differentiated OBs from MSCs of diabetic rats (OBs-DM) using an indirect co-culture model. MSCs will be obtained from the bone marrow of diabetic and non-diabetic rats, expanded and differentiated in vitro into OBs. The osteogenic potential will be assessed in OBs-DM, co-cultivated with OBs-ND for up to 17 days to evaluate cell proliferation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, formation of mineralized extracellular matrix and gene expression of the bone markers runt-related transcription factor 2, osterix, ALP, bone sialoprotein and osteocalcin. The data will be submitted to the test of adherence to the normal curve to determine the appropriate statistical test. The results of this study will show if OBs-ND are able to increase the already know low osteogenic potential of OBs-DM and thereby establishing new parameters regarding the characteristics of candidate cells for using in cell therapy in diabetic patients, since, up to now, this subject is underexplored by the literature. (AU)