Effect of elcatonin on osteoinduction by recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2

To evaluate the effect of elcatonin on osteoinduction by recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2), 5 microg of rhBMP-2 was implanted into intramuscular sites of rats. For 14 days after the implantation, elcatonin was administered intraperitoneally with total dosage of 80 U, 8 U, and 0.8 U, respectively. For the control group, only physiological saline was administered. At 21 days after implantation, the area of the oval shadow in the radiologic findings depended on the elcatonin dose and the amount of trabecular bone and the number of osteoblasts observed in the histologic findings depended on the dosage of elcatonin. The values of ALP activity and Ca content also showed an elcatonin dose dependency. These results suggested that elcatonin is effective in enhancing osteoinduction by rhBMP-2 within the dose range of this study, and that elcatonin has an anabolic effect on osteoblasts in addition to an antiresorptive effect.