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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Bone Research
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1424873

Sex hormone-binding globulin promotes the osteogenic differentiation potential of equine adipose-derived stromal cells by activating the BMP signaling pathway

Provisionally accepted
Jennifer M. Irwin-Huston Jennifer M. Irwin-Huston 1Lynda Bourebaba Lynda Bourebaba 1*Nabila Bourebaba Nabila Bourebaba 1Artur Tomal Artur Tomal 2Krzysztof Marycz Krzysztof Marycz 1,2
  • 1 Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wrocław, Poland
  • 2 International Institute of Translational Medicine, Malin, Poland

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Musculoskeletal injuries and chronic degenerative diseases pose significant challenges in equine health, impacting performance and overall well-being. Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin (SHBG) is a glycoprotein determining the bioavailability of sex hormones in the bloodstream, and exerting critical metabolic functions, thus impacting the homeostasis of many tissues including the bone.In this study, we investigated the potential role of SHBG in promoting osteogenesis and its underlying mechanisms in a model of equine adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs). We demonstrated that SHBG treatment enhances the expression of key osteoconductive regulators in equine ASCs CD34 + cells, suggesting its therapeutic potential for bone regeneration. Specifically, SHBG increased the cellular expression of BMP2/4, osteocalcin (OCL), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and osteopontin (OPN), crucial factors in early osteogenesis. Furthermore, SHBG treatment maintained adequate apoptosis and enhanced autophagy during osteogenic differentiation, contributing to bone formation and remodeling. SHBG further targeted mitochondrial dynamics, and promoted the reorganization of the mitochondrial network, as well as the expression of dynamics mediators including PINK, PARKIN and MFN1, suggesting its role in adapting cells to the osteogenic milieu, with implications for osteoblast maturation and differentiation. Overall, our findings provide novel insights into SHBG's role in bone formation and suggest its potential therapeutic utility for bone regeneration in equine medicine.

    Keywords: Osteogenesis, ASCs, SHBG, BMP, mitochondrial dynamics, Autophagy

    Received: 16 May 2024; Accepted: 30 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Irwin-Huston, Bourebaba, Bourebaba, Tomal and Marycz. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Lynda Bourebaba, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wrocław, Poland

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.