title: [Effects of progesterone on proliferation and differentiation of fetal rat calvarial osteoblasts in vitro].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the influence of progesterone on proliferation and differentiation of osteoblast at the levels of gene expression and cell functions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fetal rat calvarial osteoblasts were cultured in vitro in the presence of (10(-9) mol/L-10(-6) mol/L) progesterone. Cell proliferation, alkaline phosphalase (ALP) activity, osteocalcin mRNA expression and osteocalcin secretion in the medium and bone nodule formation were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Progesterone did not influence cell proliferation; Progesterone enhanced the ALP activity in rat osteoblasts; Progesterone stimulated osteocalcin mRNA expression in a dose-dependent manner and increased the amount of osteocalcin in the culture medium; Progesterone increased both number and area of bone nodule formation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Progesterone has a multi-stimulating effect on the differentiation of fetal rat calvarial osteoblast, hut no effect on cell proliferation.
authors.affiliation: Union Hospital, Tongji Medical University, Wuhan.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schøller
authors.forename: N T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Foged
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005333:Fetus; D010006:Osteoblasts / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D015675:Osteocalcin / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D011374:Progesterone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012886:Skull / Q000166:cytology*
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D015675:Osteocalcin; D011374:Progesterone