Effects of dexamethasone on proliferation, activity, and cytokine secretion of normal human bone marrow stromal cells: possible mechanisms of glucocorticoid-induced bone loss. (41/2466)

It is well documented that glucocorticoid excess causes bone loss, but the mechanisms of these effects remain poorly defined. To understand further the mechanisms of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, we investigated the effects of glucocorticoids on bone formation and bone resorption by examining the proliferation, functional activities, and cytokine secretion of cultured human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSC). Treatment with dexamethasone for 24 h at the concentration of 10(-8) M significantly suppressed [(3)H]thymidine incorporation and further inhibition was observed with longer treatment (8 days) or higher concentration (10(-7) M). Alkaline phosphatase activity of hBMSC was markedly stimulated with addition of dexamethasone (10(-8) M), to 191 +/- 22% (after 4 days) and 317 +/- 46% (after 7 days) of control. Dexamethasone (10(-8) M) treatment for 48 h decreased the incorporation of [(3)H]proline into collagenase-digestible protein (CDP; 43.7+/-7.9% of control) and non-collagen protein (65.2+/-8.4% of control), with a greater effect on CDP. Northern blot analysis indicated that alpha1(I)-collagen mRNA level was decreased by dexamethasone to 27.6 +/- 9.0% of the control value after 1 day of exposure, and to 55.2 +/- 6.2% after 7 days. Dexamethasone markedly suppressed basal production of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-11 and that stimulated by parathyroid hormone (PTH), IL-1alpha, or tumour necrosis factor-alpha in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that the glucocorticoid-induced bone loss is derived at least in part via inhibition of bone formation, which includes the suppression of osteoblast proliferation and collagen synthesis. As both basal and PTH-stimulated production of IL-6 and IL-11 are decreased by dexamethasone, the increased bone resorption observed in glucocorticoid-induced osteopenia does not appear to be mediated by IL-6 or IL-11.  (+info)

WF14861, a new cathepsins B and L inhibitor produced by Colletotrichum sp. II. Biological properties. (42/2466)

WF14861, 3-(N-(1-(N-(4-aminobutyl)-N-(3-aminopropyl)carbamoyl)-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl )ethyl)carbamoyl)oxirane-2-carboxylic acid, was obtained from the culture mycelium of Colletotrichum sp. as a novel cathepsins B and L inhibitor. WF14861 also showed inhibitory activities against bone derived crude protease and other cysteine proteases in vitro. The compound ameliorated the tissue damage and the bone destruction models of low-calcium-diet-fed mouse and adjuvant arthritis rat model.  (+info)

A collection method and high-sensitivity enzyme immunoassay for sweat pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline cross-links. (43/2466)

BACKGROUND: Collagen cross-link molecules such as pyridinoline (PYD), deoxypyridinoline (DPD), and N-terminal cross-linked peptides (NTX) have been measured in urine as indices of bone resorption. However, very little is known regarding the excretion of pyridinolines into other biological fluids. We report a collection device, normalizing analyte, and high-sensitivity immunoassay for quantitative analysis of free pyridinoline cross-links in sweat. METHODS: Flame atomic emission and ion-selective electrode techniques were used to measure potassium as a sweat volume marker. The Pyrilinks immunoassay for urine free pyridinolines was optimized to increase sensitivity for measurements in sweat. The precision, accuracy, and detection limit of this assay were characterized. To assess values and variability of sweat pyridinolines in human subjects, a nonocclusive skin patch was used to collect sweat samples from a reference group and from a mixed group experiencing accelerated bone resorption, postmenopausal women and men receiving gonadotropin-releasing hormone for prostate cancer. RESULTS: The immunoassay intra- and interassay variations were +info)

Total and free deoxypyridinoline after acute osteoclast activity inhibition. (44/2466)

BACKGROUND: Deoxypyridinoline (Dpd) is one of the two pyridinium cross-links that provide structural rigidity to type I collagen in bone. During osteoclastic resorption, Dpd is released into circulation and is excreted in the urine in free and peptide-bound forms. Free and total Dpd are highly correlated, but whether the free-to-total cross-link ratio is constant in both normal and high bone turnover states remains controversial. To compare free and total Dpd performance in a physiological condition, urinary free and total Dpd were measured after a short-term inhibition of osteoclast activity such as that induced by an oral calcium load. METHODS: Total and free Dpd were measured by HPLC and by immunosorbent assay, respectively, in two groups of subjects, one (calcium-treated; n = 16) taking calcium and the other not (control; n = 9). RESULTS: The urinary excretion of total Dpd at 2 and 4 h after oral calcium loading was decreased compared with controls. By contrast, changes in free Dpd were similar in the calcium-treated and control groups, reflecting only circadian rhythm. CONCLUSIONS: Total and free Dpd do not show comparable sensitivity in detecting short-term inhibition of osteoclast activity. The degradation process of peptide-bound to free Dpd could render free Dpd insensitive to acute changes of osteoclast activity.  (+info)

CD38/ADP-ribosyl cyclase: A new role in the regulation of osteoclastic bone resorption. (45/2466)

The multifunctional ADP-ribosyl cyclase, CD38, catalyzes the cyclization of NAD(+) to cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPr). The latter gates Ca(2+) release through microsomal membrane-resident ryanodine receptors (RyRs). We first cloned and sequenced full-length CD38 cDNA from a rabbit osteoclast cDNA library. The predicted amino acid sequence displayed 59, 59, and 50% similarity, respectively, to the mouse, rat, and human CD38. In situ RT-PCR revealed intense cytoplasmic staining of osteoclasts, confirming CD38 mRNA expression. Both confocal microscopy and Western blotting confirmed the plasma membrane localization of the CD38 protein. The ADP-ribosyl cyclase activity of osteoclastic CD38 was next demonstrated by its ability to cyclize the NAD(+) surrogate, NGD(+), to its fluorescent derivative cGDP-ribose. We then examined the effects of CD38 on osteoclast function. CD38 activation by an agonist antibody (A10) in the presence of substrate (NAD(+)) triggered a cytosolic Ca(2+) signal. Both ryanodine receptor modulators, ryanodine, and caffeine, markedly attenuated this cytosolic Ca(2+) change. Furthermore, the anti-CD38 agonist antibody expectedly inhibited bone resorption in the pit assay and elevated interleukin-6 (IL-6) secretion. IL-6, in turn, enhanced CD38 mRNA expression. Taken together, the results provide compelling evidence for a new role for CD38/ADP-ribosyl cyclase in the control of bone resorption, most likely exerted via cADPr.  (+info)

Identification of human asparaginyl endopeptidase (legumain) as an inhibitor of osteoclast formation and bone resorption. (46/2466)

We screened a human osteoclast (OCL) cDNA expression library for OCL inhibitory factors and identified a clone that blocked both human and murine OCL formation and bone resorption by more than 60%. This clone was identical to human legumain, a cysteine endopeptidase. Legumain significantly inhibited OCL-like multinucleated cell formation induced by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) (1,25-(OH)(2)D(3)) and parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) in mouse and human bone marrow cultures, and bone resorption in the fetal rat long bone assay in a dose-dependent manner. Legumain was detected in freshly isolated marrow plasma from normal donors and conditioned media from human marrow cultures. Furthermore, treatment of human marrow cultures with an antibody to legumain induced OCL formation to levels that were as high as those induced by 1,25-(OH)(2)D(3). Implantation in nude mice of 293 cells transfected with the legumain cDNA and constitutively expressing high levels of the protein significantly reduced hypercalcemia induced by PTHrP by about 50%, and significantly inhibited the increase in OCL surface and in OCL number expressed per mm(2) bone area and per mm bone surface induced by PTHrP. These results suggest that legumain may be a physiologic local regulator of OCL activity that can negatively modulate OCL formation and activity.  (+info)

Bisphosphonate effects in rat unloaded hindlimb bone loss model: three-dimensional microcomputed tomographic, histomorphometric, and densitometric analyses. (47/2466)

The effects of antiresorptive drugs on bone loss remain unclear. Using three-dimensional microtomography, dual X-ray/densitometry, and histomorphometry, we evaluated tiludronate effects in the bone loss model of immobilization in tail-suspended rats after 7, 13, and 23 days. Seventy-eight 12-week-old Wistar male rats were assigned to 13 groups: 1 baseline group, and for each time point, 1 control group treated with vehicle and three tail-suspended groups treated with either tiludronate (0.5 or 5 mg/kg) or vehicle, administered s. c. every other day, during the last week before sacrifice. In primary spongiosa (ISP), immobilization-induced bone loss plateaued after day 7 and was prevented by tiludronate. In secondary spongiosa (IISP), bone loss appeared at day 13 with a decrease in trabecular thickness and trabecular number (Tb.N) as assessed by three-dimensional microtomography. Osteoclastic parameters did not differ in tail-suspended rats versus control rats, whereas bone formation showed a biphasic pattern: after a marked decrease at day 7, osteoblastic activity and recruitment normalized at days 13 and 23, respectively. At day 23, the 80% decrease in bone mass was fully prevented by high-dose tiludronate with an increase in Tb.N without preventing trabecular thinning. In summary, at day 7, tiludronate prevented bone loss in ISP. After day 13, tiludronate prevented bone loss in ISP and IISP despite a further decrease in bone formation. Thus, the preventive effects of tiludronate in this model may be related to the alteration in bone modeling with an increase in Tb.N in ISP and subsequently in IISP.  (+info)

RANK is essential for osteoclast and lymph node development. (48/2466)

The physiological role of the TNF receptor (TNFR) family member, RANK, was investigated by generating RANK-deficient mice. RANK(-/-) mice were characterized by profound osteopetrosis resulting from an apparent block in osteoclast differentiation. RANK expression was not required for the commitment, differentiation, and functional maturation of macrophages and dendritic cells from their myeloid precursors but provided a necessary and specific signal for the differentiation of myeloid-derived osteoclasts. RANK(-/-) mice also exhibited a marked deficiency of B cells in the spleen. RANK(-/-) mice retained mucosal-associated lymphoid tissues including Peyer's patches but completely lacked all other peripheral lymph nodes, highlighting an additional major role for RANK in lymph node formation. These experiments reveal that RANK provides critical signals necessary for lymph node organogenesis and osteoclast differentiation.  (+info)