title: Sex steroids and bone metabolism: comparison of in vitro effects of 17beta-estradiol and testosterone on human osteosarcoma cell lines of various gender and differentiation.
abstract: Although numerous clinical studies have demonstrated the beneficial effect of preventing postmenopausal bone loss in elder women by long-term estrogen administration, effects of estrogen at the cellular level still remain unclear. Efforts to determine the precise role of bone cells in estrogen-mediated pathways are often hampered by the lack of suitable cell culture models. Presuming that sex steroids have a direct, stimulating effect on bone cells in vitro, we investigated the influence of 17beta-estradiol, testosterone and 1,25(OH)2D, on cell proliferation and differentiation using four established human osteosarcoma (HOS) cell lines of different gender of the donors (male origin: MG 63, HOS 58; female origin: SaOS 2, TE 85). These cell lines are believed to represent different stages of osteogenic maturation. Thus, the aim of this study was to clarify if possible responses to sex steroids are related to gender or osteogenic commitment of the individual cell culture. HOS cells were cultured in six-well plates and underwent hormone treatment (1 nM and 10 nM 17beta-estradiol. 0.1 nM and I nM testosterone and 1 microM 1,25(OH)2D3) for 48 h hours. Cell proliferation was determined by measuring total cell numbers. Cell function was studied by measuring alkaline phosphatase activity and secreted osteocalcin. In this study, estrogen significantly increased proliferation of both one male (MG 63) and one female (SaOS 2) cell line, but decreased proliferation of the female HOS TE 85 cell line significantly. Testosterone treatment had a positive effect on proliferation of only one female cell line (SaOS 2). A significant increase of alkaline phosphatase activity in SaOS 2 and HOS 58 cells and of osteocalcin levels in SaOS 2 cells was detected following estrogen treatment. Administration of 1.25(OH)2D3 was followed by an increased cell proliferation in HOS 58, MG 63 and SaOS 2. Significant gender-related differences could not be demonstrated. In conclusion, response to hormonal treatment with sex steroids is not related to the gender of the osteosarcoma cell line, but rather depends on its osteoblastic commitment.
authors.affiliation: IIIrd Medical Department, Justus Liebig University, Germany.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fohr
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schulz
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Battmann
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000378:metabolism; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000378:metabolism*; D002117:Calcitriol / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002648:Child; D004958:Estradiol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015675:Osteocalcin / Q000378:metabolism; D012516:Osteosarcoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013739:Testosterone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D015675:Osteocalcin; D013739:Testosterone; D004958:Estradiol; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase; D002117:Calcitriol