Effects of nickel ion treatment on gene expression during osteogenic differentiation of mouse bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells

Through comprehensive in vivo and in vitro experiments, we demonstrated that low-dose Ni (0.1 μM) significantly enhances matrix mineralization during osteogenic differentiation, whereas this pro-mineralization effect is markedly attenuated at higher concentrations. Although the inhibitory mechanism of high-dose nickel on osteogenesis has been largely attributed to oxidative stress, the molecular basis underlying the promotional effect of low-dose nickel remains unclear.

To address this, we performed RNA-seq analysis on primary mouse bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (mBMSCs) treated with 0.1 μM nickel following 7 days of osteogenic induction, aiming to elucidate the downstream signaling pathways responsible for its beneficial effects on bone mineralization.