Inorganic polyphosphates: biologically active biopolymers for biomedical applications.

Inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) is a widely occurring but only rarely investigated biopolymer which exists in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. Only in the last few years, this polymer has been identified to cause morphogenetic activity on cells involved in human bone formation. The calcium complex of polyP was found to display a dual effect on bone-forming osteoblasts and bone-resorbing osteoclasts. Exposure of these cells to polyP (Ca(2+) complex) elicits the expression of cytokines that promote the mineralization process by osteoblasts and suppress the differentiation of osteoclast precursor cells to the functionally active mature osteoclasts dissolving bone minerals. The effect of polyP on bone formation is associated with an increased release of the bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2), a key mediator that activates the anabolic processes leading to bone formation. In addition, polyP has been shown to act as a hemostatic regulator that displays various effects on blood coagulation and fibrinolysis and might play an important role in platelet-dependent proinflammatory and procoagulant disorders.