Investigating the Anti-Apoptotic Effect of Zinc on MG-63 Osteoblast-like Cells as a Potential Compound to Treat Diabetes Induced Osteoporosis

Abstract:

Diabetes mellitus is a common metabolic disease that can impair osteogenesis through a decrease in osteoblast activity leading to an increased fracture risk. While it is known that diabetes mellitus affects bone, the underlying connection between diabetes and osteoporosis remains unidentified. Deficiencies of zinc are seen in the course of ageing and in diabetic patients. Additionally, zinc supplements have been shown to exert positive effects in type-2 diabetes. Our study is aimed to examine the mechanism underlying diabetes‑induced osteoporosis, and determine the protective effects of zinc, and its association with osteoporosis and diabetes. Our data demonstrates zinc to have an inhibitory effect on advanced glycation end product (AGE)‑induced MG-63 cell apoptosis through trypan-blue counting and MTT enzymatic cell viability assays. Also, natural sources of zinc (spinach extracts) were found to protect cells against AGE-induced apoptosis. MG-63 cells progress through the various stages of bone cell differentiation under the influence of estrogen and osteogenic supplement, passing through a well-defined sequence of proliferation, matrix maturation, and extracellular mineralization. Cells were grown for 12 days in growth medium to enhance differentiation of pre-osteoblasts to osteocytes. Zinc was shown to reduce apoptotic effects in differentiated MG-63 osteoblasts growing in media with high and low glucose concentrations. Our preliminary data provides a better understanding of the mechanism underlying diabetes‑induced osteoporosis, and indicate zinc as a novel micronutrient for its prevention and treatment.