Vanadate stimulates bone cell proliferation and bone collagen synthesis in vitro.

We recently proposed a hypothesis for the molecular mechanism of the osteogenic action of fluoride in which it stimulates osteoblast proliferation via the inhibition of an osteoblastic acid phosphatase-like phosphotyrosyl protein phosphatase activity. To test this hypothesis, we investigated whether orthovanadate, a known phosphotyrosyl protein phosphatase inhibitor, would mimic fluoride in the stimulation of bone cell proliferation and bone collagen synthesis in vitro. Orthovanadate inhibited the osteoblastic acid phosphatase activity and stimulated bone cell proliferation at the same low concentrations (i.e. 5-15 microM). At the mitogenic doses, orthovanadate also showed a dose-dependent increase in alkaline phosphatase (a marker of mature osteoblasts) in cultured calvarial cells and stimulated bone collagen synthesis, as measured by the incorporation of [3H]proline and the conversion into [3H] hydroxyproline in organ calvaria cultures. Therefore, orthovanadate stimulated bone formation by increasing the number of mature osteoblasts mediated via stimulation of cell proliferation and differentiation. Orthovanadate was dependent on the presence of a mitogen in cell medium for its mitogenic action in vitro and synergistically potentiated the mitogenic actions on osteoblasts of those growth factors, i.e. insulin, epidermal growth factor, insulin-like growth factor I, and skeletal growth factor, whose mitogenic action involved tyrosyl protein phosphorylation. However, the interaction between orthovanadate and basic fibroblast growth factor, a growth factor that does not appear to involve tyrosyl protein phosphorylation, on bone cell proliferation was additive. In summary, these data are consistent with the hypothesis that inhibition of the osteoblastic phosphotyrosyl protein phosphatases can prolong and/or potentiate the mitogenic actions of growth factors, and thereby stimulates cell proliferation.