IN-VIVO EXPOSURE TO SODIUM-FLUORIDE DOES NOT MODIFY THE YIELD OF VIRAL TUMOR-INDUCED PERIOSTEAL BONE NOR OF HETEROTOPIC BONE INDUCED BY HUMAN TUMOR KB CELLS IN MICE

In mice local or systemic administration of fluoride (5-25 mg NaF/kg b ody weight) during the proliferative phase of bone formation (up to 20 days) has no effect on the yield of bone formed either by local stimu lation of periosteal membrane by Moloney sarcoma virus-induced tumour or on bone induced heterotopically by human KB cells. The lack of stim ulatory activity of fluoride oil rapidly induced osteogenesis in mice is in agreement with recent reports which show that fluoride is not a potent mitogen for human osteoblasts grown in vitro.