Bisphosphonates influence the proliferation and the maturation of normal human osteoblasts

The key pharmacological action for the clinical use of bisphosphonates lies in the inhibition of osteoclast-mediated bone resorption. Osteoblasts could be other target cells for bisphosphonates. We studied the effects of bisphosphonates on the proliferation and the differentiation of normal human bone trabecular osteoblastic cells (hOB). We tested 4 different compounds: clodronate, pamidronate and 2 newer compounds: ibandronate, a nitrogen-containing bisphosphonate and zoledronate, which is a heterocyclic imidazole compound. Ibandronate and zoledronate stimulated hOB cell proliferation by up to 30% (p