Isopsoralen is also known as Angelicin and is found in Bituminaria bituminosa. This plant does not seem to be currently available in supplement form.
[ATDC5 cells are chondrogenic progenitor cells so it’s much easier to get them to differentiate into chondrocytes than Mesenchymal Stem Cells. But ATDC5 cells are like prechondrogenic growth plate cells so it may have applications to people with growth plates]
“Endochondral bone formation is the process by which mesenchymal cells condense to become chondrocytes, which ultimately form new bone. We investigated the possible role of isopsoralen in induction of chondrogenic differentiation in clonal mouse chondrogenic ATDC5 cells. Isopsoralen treatment stimulated the accumulation of cartilage nodules in a dose-dependent manner. Further, ATDC5 cells treated with isopsoralen were stained more intensely with Alcian blue than control cells, suggesting that isopsoralen increases the synthesis of matrix proteoglycans. Similarly, isopsoralen markedly induced the activation of alkaline phosphatase activity compared with control cells. Isopsoralen enhanced the expressions of chondrogenic marker genes such as collagen II, collagen X, OCN, Smad4 and Sox9{all upregulated in LSJL except for Smad4} in a time-dependent manner. Furthermore, isopsoralen induced the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK){stimulated by LSJL} and p38 MAP kinase{LSJL likely upregulates p38}, but not that of c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). Isopsoralen significantly enhanced the protein expression of BMP-2 in a time-dependent manner. PD98059 and SB 203580, inhibitors of ERK and p38 MAPK, respectively, decreased the number of stained cells treated with isopsoralen. Isopsoralen mediates a chondromodulating effect by BMP-2 or MAPK signaling pathways.”
“the upregulation of BMP-2 causes cells to skip cellular condensation stages in early-phase chondrogenic differentiation and also markedly up-regulates the expression of type X collagen mRNA in late-phase differentiation”