The dihydropyridine-type calcium channel blocker, benidipine (BD) has been widely used in hypertension therapy. Previous studies have demonstrated that BD has a positive effect on bone metabolism. Inspired by this promoting phenomenon, the present study investigated the effects of BD on osteoblasts in vitro. Experiments were designed and performed, including an MTT assay, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, western blot analysis, alkaline phosphatase activity measurements and alizarin red S staining. The results demonstrated that BD promoted osteoblast proliferation and osteogenic differentiation at concentrations from 1×10-6 to 1×10-9 M by upregulating Runx2, BMP2 and OCN gene expression levels. Overall, BD at appropriate concentrations has been demonstrated to have positive effects on osteoblast function in addition to its conventional clinical usage.
Keywords: benidipine; calcium channel blockers; hypertension; osteoporosis.