Bone remodeling is a crucial, dynamic process that renews bone and maintains mineral homeostasis. It consists of several steps, including osteoclastic bone resorption and osteoblastic bone formation and mineralization. Intracellular calcium signaling is essential for osteoclast and osteoblast differentiation and activity. Here, we describe the differentiation of human osteoclasts and osteoblasts in vitro and provide common methods to determine cell differentiation and activity. We then describe protocols for measuring intracellular calcium in these cells using Fura2-AM.
Keywords: Bone formation; Bone mineralization; Bone resorption; Fura-2; Osteoblasts; Osteoclasts.
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