Effects of Ginsenoside Rh2 on oxytocin-induced transformation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells into myocardial cells / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:Our prior experiments have confirmed that 10 μmol/L oxytocin can induce transformation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cels into myocardial cels. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of Ginsenoside Rh2 on oxytocin-induced transformation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cels into myocardial cels. METHODS:Rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cels were isolated by differential adherence method. These isolated cels were randomly divided into five groups. In the blank control group, cels were routinely cultured. In the oxytocin group, cels were cultured with 10 μmol/L oxytocin for 2 consecutive weeks. In the Ginsenoside Rh2 low-, middle-, and high-dose groups, cels were treated with 0.5, 1, 2 μmol/L Ginsenoside Rh2respectively for 24 hours and then with oxytocin for additional 2 consecutive weeks. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Optical microscopy showed that compared to the blank control group, some cels in the oxytocin group exhibited an increased soma and some cels grew in clusters and the cel clusters enlarged with the increase in Ginsenoside Rh2 dose. Immunocytochemical staining and western blot analysis showed that cardiac Troponin T and connexin 43 protein expression in the oxytocin, Ginsenoside Rh2 low-, middle-, and high-dose groups were significantly greater than in the blank control group (P < 0.05), and cardiac Troponin T and connexin 43 protein expression in the Ginsenoside Rh2 groups was increased with the increase in Ginsenoside Rh2 dose and was significantly higher than that in the oxytocin group (P < 0.05). Confocal laser scanning microscopy showed that the relative fluorescence intensity of free calcium in the bone marrow mesenchymal stem cels in the oxytocin group was significantly increased after induction by oxytocin for 2 weeks (P < 0.05), while the relative fluorescence intensity in the Ginsenoside Rh2 groups was significantly higher than that in the Ginsenoside Rh2 groups and was positively correlated with the dose of Ginsenoside Rh2. These findings suggest that Ginsenoside Rh2 can obviously promote oxytocin-induced transformation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cels into myocardial celsin vitro.