Objective - To investigate whether VEGF has direct effects on bone cells activities and to better understand how VEGF promotes bone remodeling. Materials and Methods - MC3T3-E1 cell line was cultured with and without VEGF in vitro. The cells in both control and test groups were collected at different culture time points of 24, 48 and 72 h. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was carried out to quantify the mRNA expression of VEGF receptor (VEGFR2), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and osteocalcin (OCN), osteoprotegerin (OPG) and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa β ligand (RANKL). Results - The expression of VEGFR2 significantly increased by 53% at 24 h and remained increased by 8% at 72 h compared to control (p 0.05). Conclusion - VEGF promotes bone remodeling by direct effects on osteoblastic cells via regulating gene expression of ALP, OCN, and OPG through VEGFR2 signaling pathway. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

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