Effects of cyclosporine A on chick osteoclasts in vitro

We have studied the effects of cyclosporine A (CsA) on basal and bovine parathyroid hormone (1-34) (bPTH)-stimulated bone resorption by osteoclasts in 24-hour cultures of chick long bone cells. At a high concentration (10 micrograms/ml), CsA had a cytotoxic effect on both osteoclasts and mononuclear cells in the culture. At 1 microgram/ml, CsA inhibited basal and bPTH-stimulated bone resorption but was not cytotoxic over 24 hours. We also studied the binding of bPTH to the osteoblastic cell line, Saos-2, and chick long bone cells in suspension culture. CsA inhibited bPTH binding in Saos-2 in a dose-dependent manner; inhibition of binding was also observed in chick bone cells. The effects of CsA on osteoclast viability and resorptive function may be due to a direct effect on the osteoclasts and/or to an interaction with the nonosteoclastic cell population in the culture.