Calcification in Human Osteoblasts Cultured in Medium Conditioned by the Prostatic Cancer Cell Line PC-3 and Prostatic Acid Phosphatase

A medium that had been conditioned by PC-3 cells stimulated the calcification of a human osteoblastic cell line, Tak-10, in a nonmitogenic culture. The calcification of the osteoblasts was stimulated maximally at a 25% concentration of the conditioned medium. Calcification activity was markedly enhanced by the addition of both prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) and its substrate, Α-glycerophosphate, to the medium; however, PAP added alone did not enhance this activity. These results suggest that human prostatic carcinoma cells produce a factor that stimulates the calcification of the human osteoblasts. Results have also suggested that PAP is a requisite for osteogenesis provided that its substrates are abundant in the medium.