Glucocorticoids increase osteoblast-like bone cell response to 1,25(OH)2D3

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Abstract
Recent reports indicate that some hormones may regulate the binding of, and subsequent response to, other hormones by their target tissue. The adrenal glucocorticoids are prominent among these modulating hormones. Glucocorticoids have been shown to enhance bone cell sensitivity to parathyroid hormone (PTH) in vitro and this in turn has permitted PTH-induced effects to be measured at physiological doses of PTH for the first time in isolated osteoblast-like (OB) and osteoclast-like (OC) cells. It is unknown whether these findings represent a specific interaction between glucocorticoids and PTH or indicate a general role for glucocorticoids in the development and/or maintenance of bone cell differentiation, of which hormonal responsiveness would be one expression. In the event of a general glucocorticoid effect on cell differentiation, increased responsiveness to other bone resorbing hormones should also be observed. We have therefore examined whether glucocorticoids enhance the sensivity of bone cells to a steroid hormone, 1,25 dihydroxycholecalciferol (1,25(OH)2,D3), and we report here that they do.