Inflammatory factors play an important role in the process of fracture healing. The influence of interleukin (IL)-1β, a key inflammatory factory, on new bone formation has been controversial. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether IL-1β affects the osteogenic differentiation of mouse bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MBMMSCs), and examined its effective concentration range and molecular mechanism of action. MBMMSC proliferation in the presence of IL-1β was observed using a Cell-Counting Kit-8 assay, and the effect of IL-1β on MBMMSC apoptosis was examined via flow cytometry. Alkaline phosphatase assay, Alizarin Red staining and quantitative assays were performed to evaluate the osteogenic differentiation of MBMMSCs. The expression levels of osteogenic differentiation markers were detected using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). It was demonstrated that within a concentration range of 0.01-1 ng/ml, IL-1β promoted osteogenic differentiation of MBMMSCs and did not induce apoptosis. Furthermore, RT-qPCR results indicated that IL-1β increased osteogenic gene expression within this concentration range. Moreover, Western blotting results identified that the bone morphogenetic protein/Smad (BMP/Smad) signaling pathway was significantly activated by IL-1β under osteogenic conditions. Therefore, the present results suggested that within a certain concentration range, IL-1β promoted osteogenic differentiation and function of MBMMSCs via the BMP/Smad signaling pathway.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.