Intermittent treatment with parathyroid hormone (PTH) as well as a non-peptide small molecule agonist of the PTH1 receptor inhibits adipocyte differentiation in human bone marrow stromal cells.

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Whereas continuous PTH infusion increases bone resorption and bone loss, intermittent PTH treatment stimulates bone formation, in part, via reactivation of quiescent bone surfaces and reducing osteoblast apoptosis. We investigated the possibility that intermittent and continuous PTH treatment also differentially regulates osteogenic and adipocytic lineage commitment of bone marrow stromal progenitor/mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). The MSC were cultured under mildly adipogenic conditions in medium supplemented with dexamethasone, insulin, isobutyl-methylxanthine and troglitazone (DIIT), and treated with 50 nM human PTH(1-34) for either 1 h/day or continuously (PTH replenished every 48 h). After 6 days, cells treated with PTH for 1 h/day retained their normal fibroblastic appearance whereas those treated continuously adopted a polygonal, irregular morphology. After 12-18 days numerous lipid vacuole and oil red O-positive adipocytes had developed in cultures treated with DIIT alone, or with DIIT and continuous PTH. In contrast, adipocyte number was reduced and alkaline phosphatase staining increased in the cultures treated with DIIT and 1 h/day PTH, indicating suppression of adipogenesis and possible promotion of early osteoblastic differentiation. Furthermore, intermittent but not continuous PTH treatment suppressed markers of differentiated adipocytes such as mRNA expression of li

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

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