Researchers have found that a small protein called GILZ can reduce the risk of bone loss associated with athritis and its treatment.
The study was conducted by researchers from the Medical College at Georgia Regents University.
Previous studies have found that GILZ is very effective in tamping down inflammation, a major risk factor in arthritis. However, this new study finds that this protein can be used in the future as a better treatment option for people suffering from arthritis instead of synthetic gluccorticoids, which are widely used in arthritis treatment and are known to actually increase bone loss.
Studies have also found that some gluccorticoids also produce other side effects, including diabetes. GILZ, on the other hand, helps avoid such side effects.
Researchers examined tumor necrosis factor alpha, a pro-inflammatory cytokine that helps regulate immune cells and is a major player in arthritis. It works through promoting inflammation, which is great if the target is cancer. However, when tumor necrosis factor alpha becomes dysregulated, it can also cause diseases like arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease.
The researchers crossbred mice to over-express tumor necrosis factor alpha throughout the body with mice that over-expressed GILZ in just their mesenchymal stem cells. These stem cells produce the osteoblasts, which make bone. They also make fat, and when the cells stop making bone, they tend to make more of it. Shi's lab has shown that GILZ can coax mesenchymal stem cells back to making more bone and less fat.
"While the mice that over-expressed only tumor necrosis factor alpha quickly developed arthritis along with significant bone and weight loss, those that also over-expressed GILZ had significantly less bone loss," Dr. Xingming Shi, bone biologist at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University, said in a press statement.
"Our previous studies have shown that the GILZ transgenic mouse can make more bone," said Dr. Nianlan Yang, MCG postdoctoral fellow. "We wanted to see if GILZ would still have a bone protective effect in an inflammatory environment similar to arthritis."
Researchers still need to work on creating an oral medication which increases GILZ expression. They also want to see if GILZ can prevent arthritis from developing in the face of inflammation.
Findings of the study are to be presented at The American Society for Bone and Mineral Research 2014 Annual Meeting Sept. 12-15 in Houston.
