The role of lysophosphatidic acid on human osteoblast formation, maturation and the implications for bone health and disease

Abstract

Osteoblasts are bone-forming cells responsible for mobilizing and calcifying bone matrix. They also communicate with neighboring osteoclasts, which actively resorb bone tissue. Soluble and physical stimuli interact to maintain bone mass by coordinating the anabolic actions of osteoblasts with the resorbing activity of osteoclasts. A relative newcomer in the control of human osteoblast (hOB) growth and maturation has come to light; lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a simple yet pleiotropic cell signaling lipid. It is now known that LPA promotes stress-fiber accrual and fibronectin binding, as well as growth and survival of hOBs. Of particular relevance to bone matrix biology is the discovery that LPA can cooperate with the active vitamin D metabolite, 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃, to enhance hOB maturation, an important event for competent bone mineralization. This review details the reported effects of LPA for hOBs and their bone marrow stem cell progenitors and how this small lipid might find an application in the development of novel bone biomaterials.

Keywords:

• active vitamin D
• biomaterials
• differentiation
• lysophosphatidic acid
• osteoblast