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Musculoskeletal Development and Skeletal Pathophysiologies, 3rd Edition

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Guest Editor
1. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
2. Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
Interests: osteoimmunology; bone; osteoclast; chondrocyte; cartilage development; osteoporosis; osteoarthritis; fracture repair
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are excited to announce a Special Issue of the Journal of International Molecular Sciences that focuses on Musculoskeletal Development and Skeletal Pathophysiologies. Musculoskeletal problems are one of the leading reasons for physician visits each year.  As such, diseases such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis impart a major social and economic burden and are associated with significant morbidity and mortality.  This burden will grow as the population ages, unless treatment modalities are expanded; thus, new knowledge is needed to provide a better understanding of musculoskeletal generation and degeneration, and to identify new therapeutic approaches.

We are seeking submissions of original research articles as well as manuscripts that review a relevant field of research.

Dr. Elizabeth W. Bradley
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • musculoskeletal development
  • growth plate
  • endochondral ossification
  • intramembranous ossification
  • osteoporosis
  • osteoarthritis
  • bone
  • cartilage
  • osteoblast
  • osteoclast
  • chondrocyte

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 2285 KB  
Article
Baclofen Promotes Osteochondrogenic Commitment of Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Implications for Heterotopic Ossification Risk
by María Crugeiras-Sampedro, Lorena Zas-Veiga, María Piñeiro-Ramil, Andrés Pazos-Pérez, Verónica López-López, Alberto Jorge-Mora, Ana Alonso-Pérez and Rodolfo Gómez
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(6), 2783; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27062783 - 19 Mar 2026
Viewed by 425
Abstract
(1) Heterotopic ossification (HO) is a pathological process characterized by ectopic bone formation in soft tissues, often following trauma or neurological injury, and is associated with spasticity and chronic inflammation. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) play a central role in HO by differentiating into [...] Read more.
(1) Heterotopic ossification (HO) is a pathological process characterized by ectopic bone formation in soft tissues, often following trauma or neurological injury, and is associated with spasticity and chronic inflammation. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) play a central role in HO by differentiating into osteoblasts through endochondral or intramembranous ossification, while alternative fates such as adipogenesis are suppressed. In this study, we investigated the effects of two commonly used antispastic drugs, baclofen and tizanidine, on MSC differentiation under adipogenic and inflammatory conditions in vitro. (2) Mouse C3H10T1/2 MSCs were cultured and induced toward adipogenesis in the presence of baclofen or tizanidine, and inflammatory stimuli (Interleukin-1β or lipopolysaccharides) were applied where indicated. Gene expressions of adipogenic and osteochondrogenic markers were assessed by RT-qPCR, while osteopontin protein levels were quantified by Simple Western. (3) Baclofen treatment significantly inhibited adipogenic gene expression and promoted osteochondrogenic markers and osteopontin protein under basal conditions, whereas tizanidine had minimal effects. Under inflammatory conditions, baclofen partially suppressed adipogenesis but did not strongly induce osteochondrogenesis. (4) These findings indicate that baclofen can directly modulate MSC fate, potentially contributing to HO risk, while tizanidine may offer a safer alternative for spasticity management in patients at risk of ectopic bone formation. Full article
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