ABSTRACT
The repair of bone defect has always been a difficulty in the field of orthopedics. The development of stem cell transplantation-based regenerative medicine has brought hope to overcome this disease. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have strong osteogenic differentiation potentials, which are excellent seed cells for bone tissue engineering. Natural small molecule compounds are characterized by abundant sources, complex structures, and extensive and unique biological activities. In recent years, it has been found to be a natural inducer for the efficient induction of differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into osteoblasts, and has important application prospects in the treatment of bone lesions by stem cells. In this paper, recent advances in the induction of osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells by natural small molecules are reviewed. It is expected to accelerate the clinical application of mesenchymal stem cells in bone lesions and bone tissue engineering.