Articulo
Osteogenic actions of the anti-diabetic drug metformin on osteoblasts in culture
Autor
Cortizo, Ana María
Sedlinsky, Claudia
McCarthy, Antonio Desmond
Blanco, Alcira
Schurman, León
Institución
Resumen
An association has been previously established between uncompensated diabetes mellitus and the loss of bone mineral density and/or quality. In this study, we evaluated the effects of metformin on the growth and differentiation of osteoblasts in culture. Treatment of two osteoblast-like cells (UMR106 and MC3T3E1) with metformin (25–500μM) for 24h led to a dose-dependent increase of cell proliferation. Metformin also promoted osteoblastic differentiation: it increased type-I collagen production in both cell lines and stimulated alkaline phosphatase activity in MC3T3E1 osteoblasts. In addition, metformin markedly increased the formation of nodules of mineralization in 3-week MC3T3E1 cultures. Metformin induced activation and redistribution of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (P-ERK) in a transient manner, and dosedependently stimulated the expression of endothelial and inducible nitric oxide synthases (e/iNOS). These results show for the first time a direct osteogenic effect of metformin on osteoblasts in culture, which could be mediated by activation/redistribution of ERK-1/2 and induction of e/ iNOS. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas