Parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrP) has been shown to be an important regulator of bone remodelling1. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the N-terminal domain of PTHrP (1–36) on osteogenic and angiogenic gene expression in human osteoblasts (HOB) and human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs). Primary hBMSC's and HOBs were cultured in standard or osteogenic media with different concentrations of PTHrP, either continuously for 8, 24, 48 h and 9 days, or with 3 cycles of intermittent exposure (24 h with PTHrP, 24 h without) over 6 days. Cell lysates were then processed for analysis of gene expression. Expression of the osteogenic markers runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX-2), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and Collagen 1, and the angiogenic marker; vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), were measured.Introduction
Materials and Methods