Triiodothyronine (T3) stimulates insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 and IGF binding protein (IGFBP)-2 production by rat osteoblasts in vitro.

Osteoblast-like cells prepared from neonatal rat calvariae and grown under serum-free conditions produce IGF-1 and IGFBPs. In contrast to growth hormone, T3 and PTH increased both IGF-1 mRNA expression and net IGF-1 release in calvaria cells. In addition, they stimulated net production of IGFBP-3 and of an IGFBP with an apparent molecular weight of 32 kDa which was recognized by an antiserum against rat IGFBP-2. Bone cells expressed remarkably high levels of mRNA for IGFBP-2, the predominant IGFBP in serum of newborn rats. T3 at low physiological concentrations but not growth hormone stimulated IGFBP-2 mRNA expression and IGFBP-2 production in bone cells in vitro. Thus, IGFBPs are differentially regulated by these hormones and may play an autocrine/paracrine regulatory role in bone.