Abstract
Osteoblasts play a major role in bone formation. Osteoblasts employ intracellular Ca2+ as a second messenger to modulate hormonal responses and a cofactor for bone mineralization. Adrenomedullin (ADM) promotes osteoblast growth and proliferation, inducing an increase in bone mass. Voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels (VDCCs) mediate the influx of Ca2+ in response to membrane depolarization. Voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels serve as crucial mediators of many Ca2+-dependent functions, including growth of bone and regulation of proliferation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of ADM on VDCC currents in osteoblasts using a patch-clamp recording method. To our knowledge, the data presented here demonstrate for the first time that ADM facilitates VDCCs in osteoblasts.
