Scarfì Sonia
Sonia Scarfì, Department of Earth, Environment and Life Sciences, University of Genova, 16132 Genova, Italy.
World J Stem Cells. 2016 Jan 26;8(1):1-12. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v8.i1.1.
The extracellular matrix-associated bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) govern a plethora of biological processes. The BMPs are members of the transforming growth factor-β protein superfamily, and they actively participate to kidney development, digit and limb formation, angiogenesis, tissue fibrosis and tumor development. Since their discovery, they have attracted attention for their fascinating perspectives in the regenerative medicine and tissue engineering fields. BMPs have been employed in many preclinical and clinical studies exploring their chondrogenic or osteoinductive potential in several animal model defects and in human diseases. During years of research in particular two BMPs, BMP2 and BMP7 have gained the podium for their use in the treatment of various cartilage and bone defects. In particular they have been recently approved for employment in non-union fractures as adjunct therapies. On the other hand, thanks to their potentialities in biomedical applications, there is a growing interest in studying the biology of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC), the rules underneath their differentiation abilities, and to test their true abilities in tissue engineering. In fact, the specific differentiation of MSCs into targeted cell-type lineages for transplantation is a primary goal of the regenerative medicine. This review provides an overview on the current knowledge of BMP roles and signaling in MSC biology and differentiation capacities. In particular the article focuses on the potential clinical use of BMPs and MSCs concomitantly, in cartilage and bone tissue repair.
细胞外基质相关的骨形态发生蛋白（BMPs）调控着众多生物学过程。BMPs是转化生长因子-β蛋白超家族的成员，它们积极参与肾脏发育、手指和肢体形成、血管生成、组织纤维化以及肿瘤发展。自发现以来，它们在再生医学和组织工程领域因其引人入胜的前景而备受关注。BMPs已被用于许多临床前和临床研究，探索其在多种动物模型缺陷和人类疾病中的软骨生成或骨诱导潜力。在多年的研究中，特别是两种BMPs，即BMP2和BMP7，因其在治疗各种软骨和骨缺损方面的应用而备受瞩目。特别是它们最近已被批准作为辅助疗法用于治疗骨不连骨折。另一方面，由于它们在生物医学应用中的潜力，人们对研究间充质干细胞（MSC）的生物学特性、其分化能力背后的规律以及测试它们在组织工程中的实际能力的兴趣与日俱增。事实上，将MSCs特异性分化为用于移植的靶向细胞类型谱系是再生医学的主要目标。本综述概述了BMPs在MSC生物学和分化能力中的作用及信号传导的当前知识。特别是本文重点关注BMPs和MSCs在软骨和骨组织修复中联合应用的潜在临床用途。
