Semaphorin 3A promotes the osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells in inflammatory environments by suppressing the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

After periodontal treatment, the local inflammatory environment surrounding periodontal tissues cannot be entirely eliminated. The means by which alveolar bone repair and regeneration are promoted in inflammatory environments have important clinical significance. As a powerful protein that promotes the differentiation of osteocytes, semaphorin 3A (Sema3A) shows potential for bone regeneration therapy. However, the effect of Sema3A on osteogenic differentiation in an inflammatory environment, as well as the underlying mechanism, have not yet been explored. We used lentivirus to transduce rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs) to stably overexpress Sema3A. Lipopolysaccharide from Escherichia coli (E. coli LPS) was used to stimulate rBMSCs to establish an inflammatory environment. ALP staining, Alizarin red staining, ALP activity tests, quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR), and Western blotting were used to elucidate the effect of Sema3A on the osteogenesis of rBMSCs in inflammatory environments. XAV939 and LiCl were used to determine whether the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway was involved in attenuating the inhibition of Sema3A-induced osteogenic differentiation by LPS. The qRT-PCR and Western blot results demonstrated that the lentiviral vector (LV-NC) and lentiviral-Sema3A (LV-Sema3A) were successfully transduced into rBMSCs. An inflammatory environment could be established by stimulating rBMSCs with 1 μg/ml E. coli LPS. After Sema3A overexpression, mineral deposition was exacerbated, and the BSP and Runx2 gene and protein expression levels were increased. Furthermore, E. coli LPS activated the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and decreased rBMSC osteogenesis, but these effects were attenuated by Sema3A. In conclusion, Sema3A could protect BMSCs from LPS-mediated inhibition of osteogenic differentiation in inflammatory environments by suppressing the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.