Androgens directly stimulate proliferation of bone cells in vitro.

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Kasperk CH, Wergedal JE, Farley JR, Linkhart TA, Turner RT, Baylink DJ

Androgens directly stimulate proliferation of bone cells in vitro.

Endocrinology. 1989 Mar;124(3):1576-8.

PubMed ID

2521824 [ View in PubMed

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Abstract

This report describes the first observation of a direct mitogenic effect of androgens on isolated osteoblastic cells in serum-free culture. [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA and cell counts were used as measures of cell proliferation. The percentage of cells that stained for alkaline phosphatase was used as a measure of differentiation. Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) enhanced mouse osteoblastic cell proliferation in a dose dependent manner over a wide range of doses (10(-8) to 10(-11) molar), and was maximally active at 10(-9) M. DHT also stimulated proliferation in human osteoblast cell cultures and in cultures of the human osteosarcoma cell line, TE89. Testosterone, fluoxymesterone (a synthetic androgenic steroid) and methenolone (an anabolic steroid) were also mitogenic in the mouse bone cell system. The mitogenic effect of DHT on bone cells was inhibited by antiandrogens (hydroxyflutamide and cyproterone acetate) which compete for binding to the androgen receptor. In addition to effects on cell proliferation, DHT increased the percentage of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) positive cells in all three bone cell systems tested, and this effect was inhibited by antiandrogens. We conclude that androgens can stimulate human and murine osteoblastic cell proliferation in vitro, and induce expression of the osteoblast-line differentiation marker ALP, presumably by an androgen receptor mediated mechanism.

DrugBank Data that Cites this Article

Drug Targets

Drug	Target	Kind	Organism	Pharmacological Action	Actions
Fluoxymesterone	Androgen receptor	Protein	Humans	Yes	Agonist	Details