Lithium inhibits GSK-3Beta and this next study provides evidence that inhibition of GSK-3Beta can enhance height growth.

Inactivation of glycogen synthase kinase-3β up-regulates β-catenin and promotes chondrogenesis.zhou2014

“[Does] inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) promote chondrocytes proliferation? The expression pattern of GSK-3β was firstly determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in normal mouse. Tibias were then isolated and cultured for 6 days. The tibias were treated with dimethylsulfoxide (control) or GSK-3 inhibitor SB415286 (SB86). Length of tibias was measured until 6 days after treatment. These bones were either stained with alcian blue/alizarin red or analyzed by IHC. In addition, GSK-3β and β-catenin were analyzed by Western blot. Finally, cartilage-specific GSK-3β deletion mice (KO) were generated. Efficiency of GSK-3β deletion was determined through Western blot and IHC. After treated by inhibitor SB86[the GSK-3B inhibitor], the overall length of growth plate was not changed. However, growth of tibia in SB86 group was increased by 31 %, the length of resting and proliferating was increased 13 %, whereas the length of hypertrophic was decreased by 57 %. Besides, the mineralized length was found to be significant longer than the control group. In KO mice, growth plate and calvaria tissue both exhibit significant reduction of GSK-3β whereas the lengths of tibias in KO were almost same compared with control mice. Finally, an increase amount of β-catenin protein was observed in SB86 (P < 0.05). In addition, significantly increased β-catenin was also found in the growth plate of KO mice (P < 0.05). Inhibition of GSK-3 could promote longitudinal growth of bone through increasing bone formation. Besides, the inactivation of GSK-3β could lead to enhancing β-catenin, therefore promote chondrocytes proliferation.”

It’s important to remember that growth rate does not always equal height attained due to natural development.  They also note that GSK-3B cartilage specific knock-out mice have almost the same tibia length as the control mice whereas mice that takes the GSK-3Beta inhibitor have longer tibias.  This is much more promising in regards to a supplement enhancing longitudinal bone growth as it’s much easier to ingest a GSK-3Beta inhibitor than to alter the genes on a molecular level.

“b-catenin is essential in determining whether mesenchymal progenitors will become osteoblasts or chondrocytes”

“chondrocytes may be influenced by GSK3b through Wnt/b-catenin signaling”

If you look at figure 3 you can see how great an increase in bone length it is.