A potent small-molecule inducer of chondrogenic differentiation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells

Abstract
We discovered a novel small-molecule modulator 5{i,2} that can specifically induce the chondrogenic differentiation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs). Based on our biochemical and histological studies, 5{i,2} showed more of a directed differentiation of MSCs to chondrocyte balls compared to TGF-β3.