Bone undergoes a continual remodeling process that requires the coordinated activity of two types of cells. Osteoclasts break down the bone matrix while osteoblasts deposits collagen, calcium, and phosphorous and other minerals to form new bone. The balance between the activity of osteoclasts and osteoblasts determine the mass and density of the bone. Many diseases of bone including osteoporosis, a common age-related phenomenon in post-menopausal women in which the bone mass has been greatly reduced, and osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle-bone disease, are likely caused by the misregulation of osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that underlie osteogenesis, the process by which new bone is formed is thus of critical importance. Stem cell technology, particularly embryonic stem cells and/or mesenchymal stem cells, offer attractive sources of osteoblasts for tissue culture studies and for the biochemical dissection of the earliest steps involved in osteoblast cell determination. Mesenchymal stem cells are multipotent progenitor cells that have the capacity to differentiate into several mesenchymal cell lineages, including bone, cartilage and fat. CHEMICON(R)'s Mesenchymal Stem Cell Osteogenesis Kit contains all the reagents necessary to readily differentiate mesenchymal stem cells to an osteogenic lineage as assessed by Alizarin Red staining. Reagents in the kit include two ECM coating molecules (collagen Type I and vitronectin) that have been shown to promote osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (Salasznyk, 2004) along with inducing reagents, dexamethasone, ascorbic acid 2-phosphate and b-glycerophosphate. Also included is Alizarin Red Solution, a staining solution that is used to detect the presence of calcium in bone. Using CHEMICON's Mesenchymal Stem Cell Osteogenesis Kit, we typically obtain >50% mature osteocytes from rat bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells. Efficiency of osteogenic differentiation may vary, depending upon the quality of the mesenchymal stem cells and if variations to the protocol are introduced. For Research Use Only; not for use in diagnostic procedure.
Application: The Mesenchymal Stem Cell Osteogenesis Kit contains all the reagents necessary to readily differentiate mesenchymal stem cells to an osteogenic lineage as assessed by Alizarin Red staining.
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