Osteogenic Effect of Zingerone on Human Umbilical Cord Stem Cells and Investigation of miR-590 and Smad7 Expressions

Background: The differentiation of osteoblasts is an essential process that causes bone stability and homeostasis. Zingerone (ZG) 4-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-2-butanone isolated from the ginger plant is involved in many biological processes and can be used to treat diseases. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Zingerone on human umbilical cord stem cells (hUC-MSCs) and their differentiation into osteoblasts.

Methods: The effect of Zingerone toxicity on hUC-MSCs cells was investigated by the MTT method. The expression of miR-590 and Smad7 and differentiation markers such as Osterix (OSX) and runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) were investigated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The expression level of this enzyme was checked by an alkaline phosphatase (ALP) reaction.

Results: Zingerone has no cytotoxic effects on hUC-MSCs cells and positively affects the differentiation process of osteoblasts by influencing the expression of specific markers such as ALP, RUNX2, and OSX. The expression of miR-590 is increased, while that of Smad7 is decreased under the influence of different Zingerone concentrations. Therefore, ZG enhances the expression of osteoblast-specific markers (RUNX2, OSX, and ALP) by increasing the amount of miR-590. miR-590 suppresses Smad7 and helps the differentiation of osteoblasts.

Conclusion: ZG plays a role in hUC-MSCs by affecting the miR- 590/Smad7 pathway on the differentiation of these cells into osteoblasts and the expression of their specific markers, including RUNX2, OSX, and ALP. The osteogenic ZG has the potential to treat bone diseases.