Effects of Metformin on Mesenchymal Stem Cells cultured in Adipogenic Medium / 医学研究杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the effect of metformin on proliferation and differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) cultured in adipogenie medium. Methods Bone marrow MSCs were isolated from SD rats and cultured in adipogenic medi- um with or without 100?mol/L metformin. MTT test was performed to evaluate the proliferation of cells, while oil red O staining and real time RT - PCR were performed to evaluate the differentiation of cells. Results The number of bone marrow MSCs in two groups both increased over time, and metformin induced more cells. However, the cells affected by metformin showed smaller and less cytoplasmic lipid droplets compared with the cells in control group. Moreover, real time RT - PCR has shown the inhibitory effect of metformin on adipocyte differentiation, with significantly decreased mRNA levels for adipogenic markers. Conclusion Metformin may promote proliferation, but inhibit differentiation of bone marrow MSCs cultured in adipogenic medium.