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Effects of zinc on the mineralization of bone nodules from human osteoblast-like cells

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Abstract

Zinc is an important mineral that is required for normal bone development. However, the direct effects of zinc on the mineralization of bone cells of human origin are not clear. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of zinc on the differentiation of SaOS-2 human osteoblast-like cells and the formation of mineralized bone nodules. Cells were cultured for 8 d and then transferred to zinc-free medium and treated with varying concentrations (0–50 μM) of zinc. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was used as a measure of osteoblast differentiation, and bone nodules were detected by von Kossa staining. After 4, 6, and 8 d of treatment, zinc increased ALP activity at 1 and 10 μM, but decreased activity at 50 μM. After 9 d of treatment, zinc increased both the number and area of mineralized bone nodules at low concentrations (1 and 10 μM), but decreased both at higher concentrations (25 and 50 μM). These findings demonstrate that zinc has biphasic effects on the differentiation and mineralization of human osteoblast-like cells.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Bromatology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

    Aleksandra Cerovic, Ivanka Miletic, Sladjana Sobajic & Miodrag Radusinovic

  2. Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Aleksandra Cerovic & Ahmed El-Sohemy

  3. Department of Physiology, Institute for Biological Research, Belgrade, Serbia

    Dusko Blagojevic

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  1. Aleksandra Cerovic
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  2. Ivanka Miletic
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  3. Sladjana Sobajic
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  4. Dusko Blagojevic
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  5. Miodrag Radusinovic
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  6. Ahmed El-Sohemy
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Cerovic, A., Miletic, I., Sobajic, S. et al. Effects of zinc on the mineralization of bone nodules from human osteoblast-like cells. Biol Trace Elem Res 116, 61–71 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02685919

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02685919

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