How Kynurenine Affects the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor at Different Stages of Osteoblastic Differentiation

Abstract

This study aims to determine the impact of kynurenine treatment on various stages of osteoblastic commitment and differentiation to better understand the impact of this molecule on osteoblast dysfunction during aging. It is hypothesized that kynurenine will have its most detrimental effect on osteoblast differentiation at the mid to later stages of differentiation. To test this hypothesis, three biological replicates of each experiment were completed with immortalized mesenchymal-lineage cell lines (ST2 mesenchymal progenitor cells and MC3T3 osteoblast progenitor cells) to ensure rigor and reproducibility. A molecular approach was employed to quantify cellular expression pattern changes underlying any observed differences in extracellular matrix production by the osteoblasts. Molecular markers and gene expression were analyzed via RT-qPCR, which was used to define the molecular signature during the identified differentiation periods negatively affected by the kynurenine-supplemented media.