Wnt3a reestablishes osteogenic capacity to bone grafts from aged animals.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Age-related fatty degeneration of the bone marrow contributes to delayed fracture-healing and osteoporosis-related fractures in the elderly. The mechanisms underlying this fatty change are unknown, but they may relate to the level of Wnt signaling within the aged marrow cavity.

Methods

Transgenic mice were used in conjunction with a syngeneic bone-graft model to follow the fates of cells involved in the engraftment. Immunohistochemistry along with quantitative assays were used to evaluate Wnt signaling and adipogenic and osteogenic gene expression in bone grafts from young and aged mice. Liposomal Wnt3a protein (L-Wnt3a) was tested for its ability to restore osteogenic potential to aged bone grafts in critical-size defect models created in mice and in rabbits. Rad

SUBMITTER: Leucht P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3748990 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature