Friday 04, Dec 2009
Osteoarthritis can be effectively treated with PTH therapy
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An existing osteoporosis drug can prove to be an effective treatment option for preventing cartilage loss from osteoarthritis after a joint injury, as per an early study presented today at the annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research in Denver.
It is important to note that the presently available drugs such as steroids or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (e.g. Advil, Aleve) can be good enough to minimize pain but are not capable of addressing cartilage loss behind osteoarthritis that is believed to afflict more than 50 million Americans by 2020.
From News-Medical.Net:
Parathyroid hormone (PTH), known as teriparatide in drug form, has emerged as a major player in the maintenance and healing of bone, and the race is on to design new applications for it. Past studies have established that PTH prevents chondrocytes from undergoing maturation, and stimulates their proliferation, preserving larger pools of cartilage cells in the joint. Signaling molecules like PTH have their effect in the body by interacting with specifically shaped proteins on the cell surfaces called receptors. PTH docks into its receptors, like a ship coming into port, which changes the shape of the dock such that biochemical signals are sent.
The authors of the current study observed that chondrocytes within injured and degenerating cartilage have more PTH type 1 receptors on their surfaces. This makes them especially sensitive to the PTH signal that prevents harmful chondrocyte maturation into bone in the joint cartilage. Thus, PTH therapy should increase the cartilage supply exactly where cartilage loss is causing disease.
According to Randy Rosier, M.D., Ph.D., professor within the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at the University of Rochester Medical Center, physicians are left with no answer when it comes to bringing back cartilage in patients who have lost the battle to osteoarthritis.
The results of this study, suggesting a slight restoration of cartilage, can prove helpful for physicians treating patients with osteoarthritis.
Tags: Advil, Aleve, cartilage loss, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, osteoporosis drug, steroids
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