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The following is a summary of “A Novel Molecular Regulatory Network in Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Age-Related Osteoporosis,” published in the March 2025 issue of Clinical Endocrinology by Gao et al. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to analyze miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks influencing bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSCs) senescence in age-related osteoporosis (ARO), aiming to determine molecular markers and therapeutic targets.   

They analyzed 5 mRNA datasets to identify differentially expressed genes linked to senescence and osteoporosis, 7 hub genes were enriched in the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, with 22 hub miRNAs identified as potential regulators. The Primary BMSCs were harvested and cultured from 7 younger non-osteoporotic individuals and 6 older adults (OAs) with osteoporosis. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was employed to validate the expression levels of the hub genes and miRNAs.   

The results showed that expression analysis revealed significant differences in integrin subunit beta 3 (ITGB3), receptor tyrosine kinase ligand (KITLG), and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGFB), along with the associated regulatory miRNAs, between the 2 BMSC groups.   

Investigators concluded that miRNA-mRNA regulatory network might have mediated ARO through the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway in BMSCs. 

Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/cen.15239