Objective: Fluoride (F) has profound effect on bone cells. A high [F] is toxic; low [F] (<0.5 mM) stimulates cell growth. F is known to stimulate Na-dependent phosphate transport in osteoblast-like cells through the enhancement of tyrosine kinase activity. This study is designed to investigate if the expression of other proteins may be affected by exposure to F. Methods: MC3T3 cells grown in DMEM medium with 10% FCS were exposed to 0.01 - 10 mM of NaF for 48 hrs. Growth of F treated cells were compared to control by MTT assay. Proteins from cells exposed to 0.5 mM NaF was separated by 2D gel electrophoresis and identified with silver-staining. Proteins with enhanced or reduced intensities as compared to controls were analyzed. Results: Cell growth was stimulated when exposed to 0.05-0.1mM of NaF. Toxicity was observed when treated with >1mM NaF. Over 150 proteins of MC3T3 cells were clearly identified. Most of the proteins from F-treated cells are same as the control. However, five new proteins are identified in F-treated cells. Four are up-regulated (M.W./pI=56K/6.1; 31K/6.6; 30K/5.4; 27K/5.5) and one is down-regulated (30K/4.8). Conclusion: To our best knowledge, these proteins have not been reported before. This study demonstrated an alternative approach to investigate the mitogenic effect of F on osteoblastic cells.

Back to the Pharmacology, Therapeutics, & Toxicology Program
Back to the 32nd Annual Meeting and Exhibition of the AADR (March 12-15, 2003)

Top Level Search