title: Bone resorption by isolated human osteoclasts in vitro: effects of calcitonin.
abstract: Human osteoclasts were isolated from 12- to 17-week-old fetal tissue and from transiliac crest bone biopsies for an in vitro study of their biology. A hypodermic needle was used to flush either the fetal long bones or the trabeculae of the iliac crest bone biopsy with tissue culture medium and the resulting cell suspension sedimented briefly either onto the surface of plastic tissue culture dishes, for time-lapse microcinematography, or onto slices of devitalized bovine cortical bone for quantitative assay of bone resorption. The osteoclasts were motile, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase positive and capable of excavating pits in slices of devitalized bovine cortical bone. Human calcitonin, at doses of 1 ng/ml and 1 microgram/ml, caused a 70% inhibition of bone resorption by human fetal osteoclasts over a 24 h period but had no apparent effect on the morphology or motility of either fetal or adult osteoclasts.
authors.affiliation: Regional Bone Center, Helen Hayes Hospital, New York State Department of Health, West Haverstraw 10993.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Murrills
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shane
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lindsay
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Dempster
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology; D001862:Bone Resorption / Q000187:drug effects*; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000196:embryology; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D010010:Osteoclasts / Q000187:drug effects*; D014741:Video Recording
chemical_list: D002116:Calcitonin