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Peptide‐based activation of alpha5 integrin for promoting osteogenesis

Promoting osteoblastogenesis remains a major challenge in disorders characterized by defective bone formation. We recently showed that the alpha 5 integrin subunit (ITGA5) is critically involved in human mesenchymal cell osteoblast differentiation. In this study, we determined the potential of pharmacological ITGA5 activation by a synthetic cyclic peptide (GA‐CRRETAWAC‐GA) on murine osteoblast differentiation and function in vitro and bone formation in vivo. Peptide‐mediated activation of ITGA5 in murine C3H10T1/2 mesenchymal cells resulted in the generation of the integrin‐mediated cell signals FAK and ERK1/2‐MAPKs. In vitro, peptide‐based activation of ITGA5 protected from cell apoptosis but did not affect cell adhesion or replication, while it enhanced the expression of the osteoblast marker genes Runx2 and type I collagen and increased extracellular matrix (ECM) mineralization as also found with bone morphogenetic protein‐2 (BMP2), a standard bone anabolic factor. When injected on adult mouse cranial bone for 3 weeks, the peptide‐mediated activation of ITGA5 increased bone thickness by twofold, an effect also induced by BMP2. Histomorphometric analysis showed that this anabolic effect resulted from decreased cell apoptosis and increased bone forming surfaces and bone formation rate (BFR). We conclude that pharmacological activation of ITGA5 in mesenchymal cells is effective in promoting de novo bone formation as a result of increased osteoprogenitor cell differentiation into osteoblasts and increased cell protection from apoptosis. This peptide‐based approach could be used therapeutically to promote the osteogenic capacity of osteoblast progenitor cells and to induce de novo bone formation in conditions where osteoblastogenesis is compromised. J. Cell. Biochem. 113: 3029–3038, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.