Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Science Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
  • 2 Centre of Family Dental Health, Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 3 Board of Director Office, 6th Floor, Chancellery Building, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
  • 4 Centre for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 5 Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, National Defence University of Malaysia, Sungai Besi, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 6 Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Cyberjaya, Cyberjaya, Selangor, Malaysia
PeerJ, 2024;12:e17790.
PMID: 39071131 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17790

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Understanding human stem cell differentiation into osteoblasts and osteoclasts is crucial for bone regeneration and disease modeling. Numerous morphological techniques have been employed to assess this differentiation, but a comprehensive review of their application and effectiveness is lacking.

METHODS: Guided by the PRISMA framework, we conducted a rigorous search through the PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus databases, analyzing 254 articles. Each article was scrutinized against pre-defined inclusion criteria, yielding a refined selection of 14 studies worthy of in-depth analysis.

RESULTS: The trends in using morphological approaches were identified for analyzing osteoblast and osteoclast differentiation. The three most used techniques for osteoblasts were Alizarin Red S (mineralization; six articles), von Kossa (mineralization; three articles) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP; two articles) followed by one article on Giemsa staining (cell morphology) and finally immunochemistry (three articles involved Vinculin, F-actin and Col1 biomarkers). For osteoclasts, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP staining) has the highest number of articles (six articles), followed by two articles on DAPI staining (cell morphology), and immunochemistry (two articles with VNR, Cathepsin K and TROP2. The study involved four stem cell types: peripheral blood monocyte, mesenchymal, dental pulp, and periodontal ligament.

CONCLUSION: This review offers a valuable resource for researchers, with Alizarin Red S and TRAP staining being the most utilized morphological procedures for osteoblasts and osteoclasts, respectively. This understanding provides a foundation for future research in this rapidly changing field.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.