Neohesperidin promotes the osteogenic differentiation of bone mesenchymal stem cells by activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

Background Osteoporosis is a common disease in aging populations. However, osteoporosis treatment is still challenging. Here, we aimed to investigate the role of neohesperidin (NEO) in osteoporosis progression and the potential mechanism. Methods Bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were isolated and treated with different concentrations of NEO (0, 10, 30, 100 μM). Cell proliferation was analyzed by cell count kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. RNA-sequencing was performed on the isolated BMSCs with control and NEO treatment. Differentially expressed genes were obtained by R software. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining and Alizarin red staining (ARS) were performed to assess the osteogenic capacity of the NEO. qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of osteoblast markers. Western blot was used to evaluate the protein levels in BMSCs. Results NEO treatment significantly improved hBMSC proliferation at different time points, particularly when cells were incubated with 30 μM NEO ( P < 0.05). NEO dose-dependently increased the ALP activity and calcium deposition than the control group ( P < 0.05). A total of 855 differentially expressed genes were identified according to the significance criteria of log 2 (fold change) > 1 and adj P < 0.05. DKK1 partially reversed the promotion effects of NEO on osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. NEO increased levels of the β-catenin protein in BMSCs. Conclusion NEO plays a positive role in promoting osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs, which was related with activation of Wnt/β-catenin pathway.