1,25-Dihydroxy-19-nor-vitamin D(2), a vitamin D analog with reduced bone resorbing activity in vitro

1,25-Dihydroxy-19-nor-vitamin D(2) (19-norD(2)), a new analog of 1,25(OH)(2)D(3), suppresses parathyroid hormone in renal failure patients and in uremic rats but has less calcemic activity than 1,25(OH)(2)D(3). Although 19-norD(2) has high affinity for the vitamin D receptor and similar pharmacokinetics to those of 1,25(OH)(2)D(3), it has much less bone resorbing activity in vivo. The intrinsic activity of 19-norD(2) on osteoclastogenesis and activation of bone resorption in mouse bone marrow cultures was examined to determine the mechanism involved. 19-norD(2) and 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) (10 nM) were equivalent in stimulating the formation and maintenance of large multinucleated, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-positive cells. However, the amount of bone resorbed by osteoclasts stimulated by 10 nM 19-norD(2), as measured by pit-forming assays, was reduced 62% compared with 10 nM 1,25(OH)(2)D(3)-stimulated osteoclasts (P < 0. 05). This difference could not be attributed to enhanced catabolism or to downregulated vitamin D receptor. The rate of degradation of 19-norD(2) in cultures was approximately 20% greater than 1, 25(OH)(2)D(3), not enough to account for the different effects on bone resorption. The VDR levels were identical in cultures that were treated with 19-norD(2) and 1,25(OH)(2)D(3). In summary, 19-norD(2) is less effective than 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) in stimulating mouse marrow osteoclasts to resorb bone. The reason for this difference is not clear but seems to involve the late maturation and/or activation of osteoclasts as the number of pits produced by each tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-positive cell is reduced under stimulation by 19-norD(2) compared with 1,25(OH)(2)D(3).