Possible role of FSH in osteoporosis.
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Follicle-stimulating hormone, usually abbreviated as FSH, is a hormone produced by the anterior pituitary. FSH stimulates immature follicles in the ovary to mature and to release estrogen.
Normally the ovary also responds to FSH by releasing inhibin, another hormone, which then results in a decrease in FSH levels – creating a sort of feedback system to regulate the levels of each other and other hormones such as estrogen. At menopause when estrogen levels fall, the pituitary starts releasing even more FSH as if it is trying to get the estrogen levels back to where they once were. Consequently, post-menopausal women have high levels of FSH.
Osteoporosis is pretty common in post menopausal women, when the amount of bone mass being broken down (resorbed) is greater than the amount of new bone being formed. It has long been believed that estrogen has a major role in this process since estrogen levels decrease after menopause and many of the molecules involved in the resorption of bone are affected by estrogen.
However some recent research now shows that FSH also plays a role in this bone loss. A group led by Mone Zaidi – a researcher at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City – has recently published a paper demonstrating this.
Earlier experiments by other groups showed that mice without estrogen activity only show a mild or no bone loss.
Mone Zaidi’s group showed that ”FSH stimulates the formation and function” of cells that resorb bone in female mice, and that FSH is necessary for this bone loss. They also showed that in mice without FSH receptors (FSH will not function as usual with no FSH receptors present), bone loss decreased compared to ovariectomized (no ovaries, no estrogen) mice. In addition they showed that the decrease in bone loss was not due to the FSH causing an increase in bone formation
So what does this all mean? In a nutshell – most of the bone loss after menopause is likely not due to the decreased levels of estrogen, but rather due to the increased levels of FSH. In the future medications that inhibit the activity of FSH could be used to prevent osteoporosis. Much more research will be needed first of course before a drug like that would be ready for human use – but this is a very big step in osteoporosis research!
This work of Zaidi’s has been published in the April 21, 2006 issue of Cell (Volume 125, Issue 2, pp. 247-260, titled: FSH Directly Regulates Bone Mass).
(Technorati Tags: osteoporosis, bone, health, FSH, women, research)
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April 11, 2006
New treatments for osteoporosis on the way!
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- a transdermal patch to deliver human Parathyroid Hormone 1-34 fragment (hPTH 1-34) to treat osteoporosis just finished its first human clinical trial. Currently hPTH 1-34 is given as a injection only. This patch is being devloped by TransPharma Medical Ltd – it uses a radio frequency (RF)-micro channel technology. This system involves a handheld battery control unit, a microelectrode array and a patch with the medication. The radio frequency waves open microchannels in the skin for the drug to be delivered through.
– a generic nasal spray of calcitonin-salmon – (if I understand this right, the spray has already been approved by the FDA, but the company that makes it now has another facility approved to manufacture it. ) . At any rate, the company – Nastech Pharmaceutical Co. – will be making a generic version of the spray which has been around for a while.
– a new injectable drug for the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis. Denosumab injections were found to be safe and effective as an oral bisphosphonate. Denosumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody and works by binding to and inhibiting the activity of RANKL (receptor activator of nuclear factor-kB ligand). RANKL is involved with the activation of bone-resorbing osteoclast cells. Denosumab is being developed by Amgen and the results of its open-label multicenter phase II study of 412 postmenopausal women was reported in the February 23 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine
– Reveromycin A – this one has quite a ways to go yet, but a promising discovering by Riken (a research institute in Japan) shows that reveromycin A can inhibit bone loss in mice. Reveromycin A is secondary metabolite Streptomyces sp. SN-593 which is a type of soil actinomycete. It can induce the apoptosis (cell death) of osteoclast cells. Their results will be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
(Technorati Tags: osteoporosis., calcitonin, women)
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- FDA approves an injectable form of Boniva for treatment of osteoporosis!
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February 11, 2006
Corticosteroids and osteoporosis
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If you are taking oral corticosteroids on a long term basis for the treatment of a chronic skin disease you should be especially careful to make sure you don’t develop osteoporosis. Osteoporosis caused by this is called glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP).
The use of bisphosphonates to treat or prevent osteoporosis should be considered if you are taking corticosteroids.
The January issue of the journal Archives of Dermatology has more information on this subject.
(Technorati Tags: osteoporosis, corticosteroids, bisphosphonates)
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- Study unveils new treatment options for osteoporosis!
- Another alternative for high risk, post-menopausal women to prevent breast cancer.
- FDA approves an injectable form of Boniva for treatment of osteoporosis!
January 17, 2006
Osteopenia
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Osteopenia is a medical condition characterized by a low bone density. It is related to osteoporosis, but without as much bone loss. People who have ostepenia have are very likely to eventually get osteoporosis if they don’t take steps to prevent it.
So what causes ostepenia? The answer to this question isn’t fully known, but some things are known to contribute to the development of it. These include smoking, diet and a sedentary lifestyle.
Heredity is also involved – if members of your family have had ostepenia or osteoporosis you are at risk too. Caucasian women have the greatest risk of developing it and African American women have the lowest risk. Petite, small boned women are at greater risk too. Low levels of calcium and vitamin D in the diet can also contribute to it.
You can have your bones tested for ostepenia by having a dexa scan to measure your bone mineral density. Will your insurance pay for it? I don’t know. If you are over 65 or post-menopausal it most likely will. If you are someone like me – high risk, but younger, I don’t know. I haven’t contacted my insurance company to find out. I’ve heard it can cost less than $250 to have the dexa scan done, so if you can afford to spend that much then you could have it done even without health insurance paying for it.
So what if you have the scan and find out that you do have ostepenia? Treatment includes things like diet modification, increasing physical activity – especially weight bearing exercise, and prescription medications. If you are diagnosed with ostepenia you should talk to your doctor about all your options.
You can learn more about ostepenia at this site: http://www.osteopenia3.com/osteopenia.html.
(Technorati Tags: ostepenia, osteoporosis, women, exercise, bone)
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January 9, 2006
Magnesium also important in preventing Osteoporosis
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Magnesium is one of the major minerals and a study recently published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (November 2005, Vol 53, No 11, pp 1875-1880) suggests that it may have a role in increasing bone density.
In the study the amount of magnesium in the diet of over 2000 people in their 70’s were analyzed. They compared the amount of magnesium they were getting to their bone density and facture rate from soft bones.
The RDA for magnesium for those over 70 is 320 for women and 420 for men. Only around 25% of the people in this study were getting RDA levels in their diets.
The authors of the study found that increasing the magnesium intake resulted in greater bone mineral density and less fractures. This effect was seen in both men and women who are white, but not in those that are black.
So make sure you eat foods that contain reasonable amounts of magnesium!
Some foods that are high in magnesium include: spinach, tofu, sunflower seeds, legumes, shrimp and brocoli.
(Technorati Tags: osteoporosis, magnesium, bone, women, health)
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