MicroRNAs play important roles in regulating bone regeneration and remodeling. However, the pathophysiological roles of microRNAs in bone repair remain unclear. Here we identify a significant upregulation of miR-142-5p correlated with active osteoblastogenesis during the bone healing process. In vitro, miR-142-5p promoted osteoblast activity and matrix mineralization by targeting the gene encoding WW-domain-containing E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 1. We also found that the expression of miR-142-5p in the callus of aged mice was lower than that in the callus of young mice and directly correlated with the age-related delay in bone healing. Furthermore, treatment with agomir-142-5p in the fracture areas stimulated osteoblast activity which repaired the bone fractures in aged mice. Thus, our study revealed that miR-142-5p plays a crucial role in healing fractures by maintaining osteoblast activity, and provided a new molecular target therapeutic strategy for bone healing.
Keywords: Bone fracture; MicroRNA; Osteoblastogenesis; Wwp1.