Down-regulation of N-methyl D-aspartate receptor in rat-modeled disuse osteopenia

Lack of mechanical stress may result in osteoporosis; however, the underlying mechanisms of disuse osteoporosis remain unclear. It has been indicated that mechanical loading causes extracellular glutamate accumulation in osteoblasts. We hypothesized that the glutamate receptor mediation on bone cells might also be involved in mechanically stimulated osteogenesis. In this study, we investigated the changes of bone formation and the expressions of osteogenic genes and N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, the major glutamate receptors, in disused bones. Rat modeled disuse osteopenia in hind limbs was induced by a 3-week tail suspension in Sprague-Dawley rats. Bone mineral density and trabecular bone volume of distal femurs were measured to verify the osteopenia of disused bones. The mRNA expressions of cbfa1/Runx2, type I collagen, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and osteocalcin (OC) in bones were measured as osteogenic markers. The influences of mechanical unloading on the expressions of NMDA receptors (NR₁ and NR₂D) in bones were also examined. The effects of NMDA mediation on osteogenesis were tested by a treatment of MK-801, a non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, in cultured osteoblasts and bone marrow stroma cells. Our result showed that mRNA expressions of cbfa1/Runx2, type I collagen, ALP and OC were significantly decreased in disused bones. The mRNA and protein expressions of NR₁ and NR₂D were significantly decreased in disused bones; furthermore, immunolocalization of both receptors showed decreases in osteoblasts, but not in osteoclasts. The results from the in vitro study showed that MK-801 inhibited mRNA expression of cbfa1/Runx2 in bone marrow stroma cells and also inhibited those of collagen type I, ALP and OC of osteoblasts in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that NMDA receptor mediation may play an important role in transmitting mechanical loading in bones, and decreases of the expressions of NMDA receptors in disused bones, especially in osteoblasts, may contribute to the decrease of osteogenesis.