Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Osteoclasts in Bone Remodeling

Osteoclasts in Bone Remodeling

Osteoclasts are cells responsible for bone resorption and remodeling. They originate from hematopoietic progenitor cells present in the bone marrow. Numerous progenitor cells fuse to form multinucleated cells, each with 10-20 nuclei. A single osteoclast has a diameter of 150 to 200 µM. These cells have ruffled borders that break down the underlying bone tissue and release minerals such as calcium into the blood in bone resorption. Osteoclasts cling to bones with their ruffled edges during...

Bone Remodeling

Bone Remodeling

Bone remodeling is a continuous and balanced process of bone resorption by osteoclasts and bone formation by osteoblasts. In adults, it helps maintain bone mass and calcium homeostasis. While mechanical stress can stimulate turnover as part of the normal maintenance and reparative process, several hormones also regulate bone remodeling.

Hormones and Bone Tissue

Hormones and Bone Tissue

The endocrine system produces and secretes hormones, which interact with the skeletal system. These hormones control bone growth, maintain bone once it is formed, and remodel it.
Hormones That Influence Osteoblasts and/or Maintain the Matrix
Several hormones are necessary for controlling bone growth and maintaining the bone matrix. The pituitary gland secretes growth hormone (GH), which, as its name implies, controls bone growth. This happens in several ways: first, it triggers chondrocyte...

Bone Disorders

Bone Disorders

Aging and its effect on bone remodeling is the most common cause of bone disorders. In young and healthy people, bone deposition and resorption happen at an equal rate to maintain optimal bone health.
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...

Role of Vitamins in Maintaining Bone Health

Role of Vitamins in Maintaining Bone Health

The growth and maintenance of bone are regulated by a combination of nutritional factors, including vitamins, such as vitamin A, B12, C, D, and K.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is involved in the process of bone remodeling. Retinoic acid, the active metabolite of Vitamin A, has nuclear receptors in osteoblasts and osteoclasts, which are involved in bone remodeling.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 acts as a cofactor during the formation of osteoblast-related proteins, such as osteocalcin. Vitamin B12 plays a role...

Skeleton and Calcium Homeostasis

Skeleton and Calcium Homeostasis

Calcium is not only the most abundant mineral in bone but also the most abundant mineral in the human body. Calcium ions are needed for bone mineralization, tooth health, heart rate regulation and strength of contraction, blood coagulation, the contraction of smooth and skeletal muscle cells, and the regulation of nerve impulse conduction. The average calcium level in the blood is about 10 mg/dL. When the body cannot maintain this level, a person will experience hypo or hypercalcemia.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Dual-crosslinked chitosan nanofibres - Balancing mechanical enhancement with cytotoxic risk.

Biomaterials advances·2026

Same author

Bisphosphonate and statin: adverse effects of co-medication on wound healing in in vitro models of periodontal tissues.

Acta odontologica Scandinavica·2026

Same author

Reply to 'Comment on "Toxicities in long-term survivors of head and neck cancer-A multi-national cross-sectional analysis"'.

International journal of cancer·2025

Same author

Unmet supportive care needs among head and neck cancer survivors beyond 5 years after diagnosis: a multinational cohort study.

The Lancet regional health. Europe·2025

Same author

Toxicities in long-term survivors of head and neck cancer-A multi-national cross-sectional analysis.

International journal of cancer·2025

Same author

X-linked hypophosphataemia.

Tidsskrift for den Norske laegeforening : tidsskrift for praktisk medicin, ny raekke·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 16, 2026

Drug Treatment and In Vivo Imaging of Osteoblast-Osteoclast Interactions in a Medaka Fish Osteoporosis Model

Drug Treatment and In Vivo Imaging of Osteoblast-Osteoclast Interactions in a Medaka Fish Osteoporosis Model

Published on: January 1, 2017

Alendronate alters osteoblast activities.

Tormod B Krüger¹, Bente B Herlofson¹, Maria A Landin²

¹a Department of Oral Surgery and Oral Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry , University of Oslo , Oslo , Norway.

Acta Odontologica Scandinavica

|August 23, 2016

Summary

Alendronate (ALN) affects human osteoblasts by enhancing immune factor secretion and altering proliferation and differentiation. High doses or accumulation may lead to adverse bone changes.

Keywords:

Bisphosphonates bone cytotoxic osteonecrosis

More Related Videos

Isolation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Human Alveolar Periosteum and Effects of Vitamin D on Osteogenic Activity of Periosteum-derived Cells

Isolation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Human Alveolar Periosteum and Effects of Vitamin D on Osteogenic Activity of Periosteum-derived Cells

Published on: May 4, 2018

Estrogen-Like Effect of Bazi Bushen Capsule in Ovariectomized Rats

Estrogen-Like Effect of Bazi Bushen Capsule in Ovariectomized Rats

Published on: April 7, 2023

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 16, 2026

Drug Treatment and In Vivo Imaging of Osteoblast-Osteoclast Interactions in a Medaka Fish Osteoporosis Model

Drug Treatment and In Vivo Imaging of Osteoblast-Osteoclast Interactions in a Medaka Fish Osteoporosis Model

Published on: January 1, 2017

Isolation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Human Alveolar Periosteum and Effects of Vitamin D on Osteogenic Activity of Periosteum-derived Cells

Isolation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Human Alveolar Periosteum and Effects of Vitamin D on Osteogenic Activity of Periosteum-derived Cells

Published on: May 4, 2018

Estrogen-Like Effect of Bazi Bushen Capsule in Ovariectomized Rats

Estrogen-Like Effect of Bazi Bushen Capsule in Ovariectomized Rats

Published on: April 7, 2023

Area of Science:

Bone biology and pharmacology
Cellular and molecular mechanisms of bisphosphonates

Background:

Bisphosphonates (BPs) accumulate in bone with long half-lives, necessitating understanding their cellular effects.
Alendronate (ALN) is a widely used bisphosphonate for treating bone diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the impact of alendronate (ALN) on human primary osteoblasts.
To assess ALN's effects on osteoblast proliferation, viability, and differentiation.

Main Methods:

Human osteoblasts were treated with varying concentrations of ALN (5, 20, 100 μM).
Cell proliferation was measured using 3H-thymidine incorporation and MTT assays.
Cell viability, differentiation markers (mRNA expression), and immune factor secretion were analyzed.

Main Results:

ALN did not affect osteoblast viability.
Low ALN concentrations increased proliferation; high concentration (100 μM) decreased it.
ALN reduced osteoblast differentiation markers but increased leptin, IL-8, and RANTES expression/secretion.

Conclusions:

Alendronate enhances immune factor secretion from osteoblasts.
Reduced proliferation and differentiation, coupled with immune factor release, suggest potential adverse local bone effects at higher doses or with accumulation.