Effects of the anabolic steroid stanozolol on cells derived from human bone.

Clin Sci (Lond). 1988 May;74(5):455-60.

Effects of the anabolic steroid stanozolol on cells derived from human bone.

Vaishnav R, Beresford JN, Gallagher JA, Russell RG.

Department of Human Metabolism and Clinical Biochemistry, University of Sheffield
Medical School, U.K.

1. In this study, cells derived from explants of human trabecular bone were
treated with the anabolic steroid stanozolol in order to determine whether the
potential therapeutic effect of this agent might be explained by direct effects
on skeletal tissue. 2. Stanozolol at a concentration of 10(-10) mol/l to 10(-6)
mol/l consistently stimulated the incorporation of [3H]thymidine into DNA of
human bone cells and increased proliferation. 3. Stanozolol had variable effects
on the expression of two other markers of the osteoblast phenotype, namely the
bone-specific vitamin-K-dependent protein osteocalcin, and the enzyme alkaline
phosphatase. Although stanozolol tended to increase the values, this was not seen
in all experiments. 4. We conclude that human bone cells respond to stanozolol.
The effects of this agent on cell proliferation may be important in understanding
the mode of action of this drug in the treatment of osteopenic disorders.