Evaluation of the iodoacetic acid effects on adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells and alteration of their osteogenic differentiation potential by inducing oxidative stress.

Drinking water disinfection byproducts (DBPs) can adversely affect human health. Iodoacetic acid (IAA) is a DBP associated with most cytotoxic, genotoxic, and mutagenic disorders. However, its effects on the osteogenic differentiation of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells, ADMSCs, remain unknown. In this study, the cytotoxicity, cytokine response, phenotype, and osteogenic differentiation potential of the ADMSCs were evaluated in the presence and absence of IAA. It was revealed that IAA induces a toxic response at a concentration of 2 µM. Flow cytometry confirmed no significant alterations in ADMSCs' phenotype after treatment with 10 nM and 1 µM IAA for 48 h. IAA led to a decreased secretion of IL-8, a dose-dependent secretion of IL-10, and no significant change in the secretion of IL-6 compared to the control group. The osteogenic differentiation ability of ADMSCs in the presence of different concentrations and exposure times to IAA was evaluated by measurement of alkaline phosphatase activity, calcium content, Alizarin Red S, real-time PCR, and immunocytochemistry assays. The findings show that the osteogenic differentiation of ADMSCs decreased at higher concentrations of IAA and extended exposure time, confirming the potential disruption of the osteogenic differentiation of ADMSCs.