Heparin Enhancement of Factors Stimulating Bone Resorption in Tissue Culture

Abstract

The addition of small amounts of a commercial heparin solution, or a synthetic polysaccharide-sulfuric ester similar in structure to heparin, to the medium in which bone tissue is cultured markedly enhances the amount of bone resorption obtained with suboptimal concentrations of parathyroid extract or other factors which stimulate bone resorption. It is suggested that heparin be considered a "cofactor" which stimulates bone resorption and which may play an important role in physiological or pathological resorption.