Abstract
Microgravity induces osteoporosis. Osteocytes are considered to act as a mechanosensor in bone tissue. They are the most abundant cells in bone and distribute throughout the bone matrix. However, very little is known about detail mechanism of osteoporosis occurred under microgravity. We have already reported that microgravity influenced cell proliferation, cell-to-cell communication and differentiation of bone marrow cells when osteocyte-like cell line MLO-Y4 cells were cultured in monolayer and subjected to multi-dimensional gravity. However, osteocytes in vivo were deep embedded in bone matrix. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the effects of multi-dimensional gravity on osteocytes in three-dimensional culture. MLO-Y4 cells were cultured in type I collagen gel, and then exposed to multi-dimensional gravity for 24h. Double fluorescence staining technique revealed that cell-to-cell communications via gap junction were significantly decreased in multi-dimensional gravity. Bone marrow cells were cultured for a week with using conditioned medium (CM) obtained from osteocyte culture under multidimensional gravity. TRAP (tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase) activity was significantly increased by adding CM from osteocyte culture exposed to multi-dimensional gravity.
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