The Flavonoid Glabridin Induces OCT4 to Enhance Osteogenetic Potential in Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a promising tool for studying intractable diseases. Unfortunately, MSCs can easily undergo cellular senescence during expansion by losing stemness. The aim of this study was to improve the stemness and differentiation of MSCs by using glabridin, a natural flavonoid. Assessments of cell viability, cell proliferation, -galactosidase activity, differentiation, and gene expression by reverse transcription PCR were subsequently performed in the absence or presence of glabridin. Glabridin enhanced the self-renewal capacity of MSCs, as indicated by the upregulation of the gene. In addition, it resulted in an increase in the osteogenic differentiation potential by inducing the expression of osteogenesis-related genes such as and . We confirmed that glabridin improved the osteogenesis of MSCs with a significant elevation in the expression of and genes. Taken together, these results suggest that glabridin enhances osteogenic differentiation of MSCs with induction of the gene; thus, glabridin could be useful for stem cell-based therapies.