FMS*Calciumfluor increases alkaline phosphatase expression during osteogenesis in vitro of tibia-derived rat osteoblasts by activation of G alpha 0/G alpha i proteins
Palermo, C.; Manduca, P.
Bollettino della Societa Italiana di Biologia Sperimentale 76(5-6): 29-36
2000
ISSN/ISBN: 0037-8771 PMID: 11449818 Document Number: 521936
We studied the involvement of G-proteins in transducing the inductive signal generated by treatment of tibial-derived neonatal rat osteoblasts (ROB) cultured in vitro with FMS*Calciumfluor, a homeopathic preparation utilized in the therapy of osteoporosis. We previously reported that FMS*Calciumfluor acts as inducer and potentiator of osteogenic differentiation in vitro, among other effects, by increasing the expression of Alkaline phosphatase (AP). We utilized Pertussis Toxin (PTX), an inhibitor of G alpha 0/G alpha i proteins, Mastoparan 7, an activator of G alpha 0/G alpha i proteins and Cholera Toxin (CTX), a stimulator of G alpha s protein to show involvement of specific G proteins in the inductive effect on AP of FMS*Calciumfluor. We here show that the increase in AP expression induced by FMS*Calciumfluor is dependent on the activation of G alpha 0/G alpha i proteins, while it is unaffected by the activation stage of the G alpha s protein. Moreover, we show that the expression of endogenous AP during osteogenesis in vitro is regulated independently from G proteins, and unaffected by their activation stage and therefore that treatment with FMS*Calciumfluor activates a new pathway of cellular response.