Osteoblast-like cells with different embryologic origins behave differently in increasing zoledronic acid concentrations: a pilot study in pigs.

OBJECTIVE: We compared the intraindividual effects of increasing zoledronic acid (ZA) concentrations on osteoblast-like cells with different embryologic origins.

STUDY DESIGN: Cultured osteoblast-like cells from mandible and iliac crest bone samples of domestic pigs were exposed to increasing concentrations of ZA (0, 10-8, 10-6, and 10-4 M). Proliferation was assessed by cell counting. Receptor activator of nuclear factor kB ligand and osteoprotegerin (OPG) messenger RNA expression were assessed at 0, 1, 4, 7, and 10 days.

RESULTS: The OPG expression level was higher in the iliac crest than in the mandible. Neither ZA concentration nor the cells' origin affected the expression of receptor activator of nuclear factor kB ligand. At 10-6 M, OPG expression from both locations reached the same level after 7 days of cultivation, as OPG expression increased to a greater extent in the mandible in comparison to the iliac crest.

CONCLUSION: Cultured mandibular osteoblast-like cells reacted more sensitively to high ZA concentrations than did osteoblast-like cells from the iliac crest.