RESUMO
The objective of this study was to examine the effects of leptin on alpha (alpha) 1 (I) collagen gene expression in a human osteoblast-like MG63 cell line. MG63 cells were incubated with different doses of leptin (10(-8), 10(-7), and 10(-6) mol x L(-1)) for 24, 48, and 72 h. alpha1 (I) collagen gene expression in MG63 cells was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (FQ-PCR), with 17beta-estradiol (17beta-E2) as the positive control. Expression of the alpha1 (I) collagen gene, regulated by leptin, was dose and time dependent, with maximal expression in the 10(-7) mol x L(-1) group at 72 h of incubation. As a positive control, 17beta-E2 reached its maximal effect in the 10(-7) mol x L(-1) group at 24 h. We conclude that leptin has the ability to up-regulate alpha1 (I) collagen gene expression in MG63 cells, with a more potent effect but a less rapid response than 17beta- E2.