Abstract Objectives Osteoblasts are derived from Bone Marrow-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (BM-MSCs), which play an indispensable role in bone formation. In this study, the authors aim to investigate the role of IRF4 in the osteogenic differentiation of BM-MSCs and its potential molecular mechanism. Methods The authors used lentivirus infection to overexpress IRF4 in BM-MSCs. The expression of IRF4 and osteogenesis-related genes were detected by qRT-PCR and western blot analysis. The osteogenic differentiation of BM-MSCs was evaluated by Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) activity, Alizarin red staining, and Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) staining. Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP), Dual-Luciferase reporter assay and RNA Immunoprecipitation Assay were applied to confirm the regulatory mechanism between IRF4, miR-636 and DOCK9. Results The authors found IRF4 was down-regulated during the osteogenic differentiation of BM-MSCs, and IRF4 overexpression could decrease the osteogenic differentiation of BM-MSCs by specifically promoting the reduction of Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) activity and down-regulating osteogenic indicators, including OCN, OPN, Runx2 and CollA1. Mechanistically, IRF4 activated microRNA-636 (miR-636) expression via binding to its promoter region, and Dedicator of Cytokinesis 9 (DOCK9) was identified as the target of miR-636 in BM-MSCs. Moreover, the damage in the capacity of osteogenic differentiation of BM-MSCs induced by IRF4 overexpression could be rescued by miR-636 inhibition. Conclusions In summary, this paper proposed that IRF4/miR-636/DOCK9 may be considered as targets for the treatment of osteoporosis (OP).

The current study was designed to evaluate the aqueous extract of Terminalia chebula activity, and the main pathway was detected on lung cancer by extracts of T. chebula. Aqueous extract of T. chebula was separated using a zeolite, and five fractions of T. chebula extract were obtained and analyzed by ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy. Antiproliferative activity was evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) methods against human lung cancer (A549) and mouse lung cancer cell line LLC. T. chebula acts by regulating the Bcl-2 family protein-mediated mitochondrial pathway detected by western blot. Fraction 4 of the T. chebula extract showed much function and was thus studied further. Fraction 4 increased the activation of caspase-3, induced PARP cleavage, and promoted cytochrome c release into the cytoplasm. These data suggest that T. chebula acts by regulating the Bcl-2 family protein-mediated mitochondrial pathway and provide evidence that T. chebula deserves further investigation as a natural agent for treating and preventing cancer.