Effects of Citalopram Exposure on Osteogenesis in Mouse Calvarial Pre-Osteoblasts

Recently, serotonin and serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) drugs have been shown to have an effect on the development and maintenance of bone. However, little is known about its role in craniofacial development. We used microarray as one tool to determine the gene expression profile of intramembranous (calvarial) derived murine pre-osteoblasts after citalopram (SSRI) exposure. We isolated whole RNA from MC3T3-E1 cells treated with proliferation media or proliferation media with SSRI at a dose of 10^-4 mol./liter for 3 or 7 days in culture. We then used an Affymetrix array and compared expression profiles between control and experimental treatments.