Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences on calcified tissues
Bone Abstracts (2013) 1 PP193 | DOI: 10.1530/boneabs.1.PP193

ECTS2013 Poster Presentations Cell biology: osteoblasts and bone formation (50 abstracts)

Normal human osteoblast cells exerts an adaptive effect towards moderate hypothermia by retaining bone metabolism and cellular function in vitro

Mohd Din Aisha 1 , Mohamed Noor Khan Nor-Ashikin 1, , Ab. Rahim Sharaniza 3 , Hapizah Nawawi 2, , Marina Kapitonova 1, & Gabriele Ruth Anisah Froemming 1,


1Institute of Medical Molecular Biotechnology, Jalan Hospital, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia; 2Center for Pathology Diagnostic and Research Laboratories, Clinical Training Centre, Jalan Hospital, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia; 3Faculty of Medicine, Jalan Hospital, University Teknologi MARA, Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia.


Over the years, it has been demonstrated that the ability to maintain body core temperature in older adult’s declines with age. Temperature is a vital physical factor for cell growth and a downshift in core body temperature (<37 °C) might have a direct affect on maintaining bone density or repair fractures. Disruption in any of the cellular processes involved in bone remodelling leads to a net loss of bone mineral density and bone loss. Therefore our study looked at the changes in normal human osteoblast (NHOst) cell cytoskeleton, motility, and viability after short-term hypothermia. The expression of chaperone proteins, bone transcription factors and maturation proteins were also examined. NHOst cells were exposed to moderate (35 °C) and severe (27 °C) hypothermia and control (37 °C) at 1, 12, 24, and 72 h in a water-jacketed incubator. Changes in cell cytoskeleton were calculated based on fluorescence intensity. NHOst viability and motility was measured using MTS assay and CD44 ELISA respectively. Meanwhile, expression level of osteoblast transcription factors (Runx2 and osterix), cold (Rbm3), and heat shock (Hsp70) chaperone mRNA was quantitated using RT-PCR. Measurement of bone forming proteins; alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and osteocalcin (OCN) was done by ELISA. Hypothermic conditioning showed noticeable perturbation of the NHOst cytoskeleton compared to control. At 27 °C tubulin fibres were seen localized around the cell nucleus while actin was distributed throughout the cytoplasm. Increase in actin fluorescence intensity showed almost a similar trend in production of cell surface CD44 marker protein as both are involved in cell motility. Although cytoskeleton components were altered, NHOst remained metabolically viable at 35 °C. Response towards hypothermia constitutively enhanced expression of Rbm3 possibly to facilitate mRNA translation. Meanwhile, Runx2 and osterix were shown to co-regulate. Up-regulation of Runx2 induced osterix mRNA under 35 °C treatment indicating osteoblast differentiation was retained. Hypothermia increased ALP activity while OCN protein was expressed except at 72 h. Moderate hypothermia exerted an adaptive effect by retaining NHOst cell metabolism and bone function particularly at 12 h. We speculate that decline in core body temperature is not the reason for bone loss seen in elderly since it appears to stimulate bone mineralization.

Volume 1

European Calcified Tissue Society Congress 2013

Lisbon, Portugal
18 May 2013 - 22 May 2013

European Calcified Tissue Society 

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