Effects of genistein on expression of bone markers during MC3T3-E1 osteoblastic cell differentiation

In this in vitro study, the hypothesis that the beneficial effects of dietary genistein on bone are through the modulation of the bone marker synthesis by osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells was tested, and the possible roles of estrogen receptors in the actions of genistein on osteoblastic cells were also examined. Interleukin-6 production was decreased 40% to 60% in osteoblastic cells treated with genistein from either day 8–16 or day 12–16, at dietarily achievable concentrations (10−10 to 10−8 M) (P<0.05). The mRNA expression of osteoprotegerin increased about 140% in cells treated from with genistein day 4–8 at a concentration of 10−8 M (P<0.05). The ratio of estrogen receptor-α to β expression increased 10-fold from day 0 to 12 of culture (P<0.05). Correlating with this time-dependent variation in estrogen receptor expression, treatments of 17β-estradiol and genistein had opposite dose patterns on the ratio of estrogen receptor-α to β expression following treatment from day 4 to 6 compared to from day 0 to 2. The addition of ICI-182,780, an estrogen receptor blocker, reduced the inhibitory effect of genistein on IL-6 production by 30-50%. In summary, these findings suggest that the beneficial skeletal effects of genistein, at dietarily achievable levels, appear to be mediated, at least in part, by interleukin-6 and osteoprotegerin, and estrogen receptors play important roles in the inhibition of interleukin-6 synthesis by genistein in osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells.