Suppression of bone morphogenetic protein inhibitors promotes osteogenic differentiation: therapeutic implications

Manolis Heliotis¹ and Eleftherios Tsiridis²

¹Regional North West London Maxillofacial Unit, Northwick Park Hospital, Wattford Road, Harrow, London HA1 3UJ, UK

²Academic Orthopaedic Unit, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Leeds Medical School, and Leeds General Infirmary Teaching Hospital, Clarendon, Great George Street, Leeds LS1 3EX, UK

author email corresponding author email

Arthritis Research & Therapy 2008, 10:115doi:10.1186/ar2467


Published:	12 August 2008

See related research by Kwong et al., http://arthritis-research.com/content/10/3/R65

Abstract

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are expressed during osteogenesis and their action is regulated by corresponding BMP inhibitors. Chordin (a well recognized BMP inhibitor) and BMP-2 are expressed during osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells. Chordin inhibition induces human mesenchymal stem cell differentiation and reduces their proliferation by increasing BMP-2 bioavailability. The potential of suppressing BMP inhibitors is emerging as a biological therapeutic target in bone tissue engineering, because it results in an unopposed synergy between the various growth factors that are involved in osteogenesis, within their physiological milieu.