Effects of Naringin on the Proliferation, Migration and Osteogenesis of Two Human Osteoblast-Like Cell Lines

This study aimed to investigate the effects of naringin on osteoblast-like cell proliferation, migration and osteogenesis and GLI1 expression in vitro. CCK-8 assays and flow cytometry analysis were used to evaluate the effects of naringin on MG-63 and U-20S cell proliferation. Transwell migration assays were performed to detect cell migration. Alkaline phosphatase activity, Alizarin Red S staining and osteogenic genes (BMP2, RUNX2, COL-1) were assessed to determine the cell osteogenic ability. GLI1 mRNA and protein levels were measured by qRT-PCR and Western blot analyses. The results showed that naringin at a dose of 1 x 10(-5) mol/l for MG-63 cells and 1 x 10(-8) mol/l for U-20S cells enhanced the cell proliferation, migration and osteogenesis compared with those of the control group (P < 0.05). In addition, GLI1 expression was significantly increased compared to that of the control. These results indicated that naringin promotes proliferation, migration and osteogenesis of human osteoblast-like cells. Additionally, naringin activated the Hedgehog signaling pathway. Our findings provide insights into the mechanistic link between naringin-induced osteogenesis and the Hedgehog signaling pathway.