Effect of L-lysine in culture medium on nodule formation by bone marrow cells

Abstract

The aim of this study was to estimate the effect of L-lysine on nodule formation by rat bone marrow cells in vitro. In this study, L-lysine was added to medium for mesenchymal stem cell culture to promote proliferation and differentiation of the cells, and then nodule formation was estimated in an in vitro rat bone marrow cell culture. Bone marrow cells from the bone shafts of the femora of Fischer 344 rats were cultured in minimum essential medium with 20 μl of L-lysine solution at 10﹣4, 10﹣5, 10﹣6, 10﹣7 or 10﹣8 M. Dexamethasone was also added to the medium at 10 nM for differentiation of stem cells from bone marrow into osteoblast progenitor cells. The subculture was performed for 2 weeks. The quantity of osteocalcin in rat bone marrow cell culture with dexamethasone was 392 ng/ml. In the medium with dexamethasone and 10﹣8 M L-lysine, the quantity of osteocalcin was 437 ng/ml. Nodules only formed upon addition of 20 μl of L-lysine at 10﹣8 M. It was indicated that 10﹣8 M L-lysine should be the optimal concentration for calcification. For nodule formation by rat bone marrow cells in vitro, the optimum concentration of L-lysine in culture medium might be 20 μl of 10﹣8 M. L-lysine could play an important role in matrix production for bone formation in vitro.