Rat hindlimb unloading by tail suspension reduces osteoblast differentiation, induces IL-6 secretion, and increases bone resorption in ex vivo cultures.

In this research we utilized tail-suspended rats as an in vivo model for bone loss studies in order to investigate the effects of the tail suspension on the structure of the suspended bones and in ex vivo cultures the activities of trabecular osteoblasts, marrow-derived osteogenic cells, and osteoclasts obtained from treated animals, compared with untreated controls. After a 5-day hind limb unloading, trabecular thinning was already evidenced in the tibial primary spongiosa. In the secondary spongiosa, the bone formation activity was reduced whereas osteoclastic parameters were not yet altered. Bone marrow-derived osteogenic cells and differentiated osteoblasts from enzymatic digestion of posterior limb trabecular bone were prepared from 5 day tail-suspended rats and from normally loaded rats as controls. Cell morphology, alkaline phosphatase (ALPH) activity, production of mineral matrix, osteocalcin, and IL-6 secretion were evaluated in both cell populations. Tail suspension reduced the osteogenic potential of stromal marrow cells and of already differentiated osteoblasts. In fact, ALP positive colonies were significantly reduced in number and were smaller in size compared with controls and bone nodules formed in permissive conditions were also significantly fewer and smaller, whereas in cultures of cells from control conditions, large mineralizing nodules were formed. Osteocalcin secretion was not affected by unloading. Finally, IL-6 concentration was increased in marrow-derived cells from treated rats compared with controls. Primary cultures of osteoclasts were obtained from the nonadherent fraction of the bone marrow of the same animals. The number of TRAP positive cells in culture from tail-suspended rats was significantly increased, as well as bone resorption activity, measured as resorbed surfaces of a suitable synthetic hydroxyapatite, compared with controls. These data clearly suggest that skeletal unloading not only reduces the osteogenic potential of osteoblastic cells but induces an increased osteoclastogenesis and osteoclast activity in ex vivo cultures. They also indicate for the first time that a possible mediator responsible for the increased osteoclastogenesis could be represented by the IL-6 whose secretion by bone marrow cells was significantly enhanced by unloading.