Metformin Facilitates Osteoblastic Differentiation and M2 Macrophage Polarization by PI3K/AKT/mTOR Pathway in Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells

<div>Metformin-pretreated M2 macrophages enhanced osteoblastic differentiation via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway (a) The diagram of metformin (0, 50, and 100 <i>μ</i>M)-treated M2 macrophages cocultured with UC-MSCs. (b) Expression levels of osteogenic-related proteins (ALP, RUNX2, and OCN) after coculture with metformin-treated M2 macrophages for 48 h. (c) Expression levels of PI3K/AKT/mTOR-pathway-related proteins (PI3K, p-PI3K, AKT, p-AKT, mTOR, p-mTOR). (d) Representative immunofluorescence staining of p-mTOR in M2-cocultured or M2/Met100-cocultured UC-MSCs. p-mTOR (green), phalloidin (red), and counterstained with DAPI (blue). Scar <svg height="9.51429pt" id="M24" style="vertical-align:-0.2063894pt" version="1.1" viewbox="-0.0498162 -9.3079 44.6958 9.51429" width="44.6958pt" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M152 404V712C115 698 54 683 7 677V654C71 648 73 642 73 579V24C128 -2 179 -12 220 -12C353 -12 471 92 471 238C471 357 381 449 274 449C262 449 249 446 233 439L152 404ZM152 374C170 384 202 393 230 393C313 393 382 326 382 213C382 97 330 26 246 26C194 26 165 62 158 81C154 91 152 101 152 116V374Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,6.669,0)"><path d="M433 39L423 65C413 59 399 54 387 54C370 54 352 69 352 114V299C352 352 342 392 307 422C285 440 255 449 225 449C168 437 102 399 75 379C56 365 44 353 44 339C44 315 69 296 87 296C101 296 111 303 116 319C124 349 133 371 145 385C156 397 171 404 190 404C241 404 275 364 275 291V274C253 256 180 229 120 209C65 190 39 159 39 110C39 47 88 -12 159 -12C189 -12 237 25 277 52C282 35 288 21 301 8C312 -3 333 -12 348 -12L433 39ZM275 84C256 65 221 48 195 48C164 48 124 73 124 124C124 161 146 180 185 198C206 208 254 229 275 240V84Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,12.259,0)"><path d="M181 342V451C133 431 89 419 40 411V388C98 381 102 377 102 311V104C102 38 95 32 33 26V0H263V26C186 32 181 38 181 104V287C203 343 235 372 261 372C277 372 289 366 304 352C310 346 318 345 330 350C349 359 362 379 362 399C362 422 338 449 304 449C256 449 213 393 183 342H181Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,20.778,0)"><path d="M535 323V373H52V323H535ZM535 138V188H52V138H535Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,32.041,0)"><path d="M412 140C382 77 369 73 315 73H129L270 222C362 320 402 379 402 466C402 571 322 635 234 635C177 635 130 609 99 576L42 495L64 475C90 514 133 568 201 568C274 568 318 519 318 435C318 349 255 267 193 193C144 135 87 78 32 23V0H405C417 45 427 89 440 131L412 140Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,38.281,0)"><path d="M241 635C89 635 35 457 35 312C35 153 89 -12 240 -12C390 -12 443 166 443 312C443 466 390 635 241 635ZM238 602C329 602 354 454 354 312C354 172 330 22 240 22C152 22 124 173 124 313S148 602 238 602Z"></path></g></svg> <i>μ</i>m. (e) Expression levels of p-PI3K, p-AKT, p-mTOR, and ALP, RUNX2, and OCN after treatment with or without LY294002 (50 <i>μ</i>M).</div>

Stem Cells International

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Figure 6

Figure 6: Metformin Facilitates Osteoblastic Differentiation and M2 Macrophage Polarization by PI3K/AKT/mTOR Pathway in Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells 

Figure 6 | Metformin Facilitates Osteoblastic Differentiation and M2 Macrophage Polarization by PI3K/AKT/mTOR Pathway in Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells 