Effects of the antihypertensive drug benidipine on osteoblast function .

The dihydropyridine-type calcium channel blocker, benidipine (BD) has been widely used in hypertension therapy. Previous studies have demonstrated that BD has a positive effect on bone metabolism. Inspired by this promoting phenomenon, the present study investigated the effects of BD on osteoblasts . Experiments were designed and performed, including an MTT assay, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, western blot analysis, alkaline phosphatase activity measurements and alizarin red S staining. The results demonstrated that BD promoted osteoblast proliferation and osteogenic differentiation at concentrations from 1×10 to 1×10 M by upregulating Runx2, BMP2 and OCN gene expression levels. Overall, BD at appropriate concentrations has been demonstrated to have positive effects on osteoblast function in addition to its conventional clinical usage.