Short-term intermittent PTH 1-34 administration enhances bone formation in SCID/Beige mice (original) (raw)

Current perspectives on parathyroid hormone (PTH) and PTH-related protein (PTHrP) as bone anabolic therapies

Biochemical Pharmacology, 2013

Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone mineral density and/or poor bone microarchitecture leading to an increased risk of fractures. The skeletal alterations in osteoporosis are a consequence of a relative deficit of bone formation compared to bone resorption. Osteoporosis therapies have mostly relied on antiresorptive drugs. An alternative therapeutic approach for osteoporosis is currently available, based on the intermittent administration of parathyroid hormone (PTH). Bone anabolism caused by PTH therapy is mainly accounted for by the ability of PTH to increase osteoblastogenesis and osteoblast survival. PTH and PTH-related protein (PTHrP)-an abundant local factor in bone-interact with the common PTH type 1 receptor with similar affinities in osteoblasts. Studies mainly in osteoporosis rodent models and limited data in postmenopausal women suggest that N-terminal PTHrP peptides might be considered a promising bone anabolic therapy. In addition, putative osteogenic actions of PTHrP might be ascribed not only to its N-terminal domain but also to its PTH-unrelated C-terminal region. In this review, we discuss the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms of the anabolic actions of PTH and the similar potential of PTH-related protein (PTHrP) to increase bone mass and improve bone regeneration.

Effects of continuous and intermittent administration and inhibition of resorption on the anabolic response of bone to parathyroid hormone

Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 2009

The role of resorption in the anabolic response of bone to parathyroid hormone (PTH) is not well understood. In contrast to the increase in bone mass induced by intermittent PTH in intact rats, continuous infusion of PTH into thyroparathyroidectomized (TPTX) rats failed to increase bone volume. The objectives of this study were to determine if continuous infusions of low doses of PTH were anabolic in intact rats and if inhibition of resorption would enhance or block an anabolic action of PTH. Young male rats were treated with either continuous infusion or intermittent injections of hPTH-(1-34) for 12 days. In experiment 1, PTH, infused daily at 4 pg per 100 g, increased femur calcium and dry weight. Unlike infusion of 8 pg PTH, which did not alter bone mass, intermittent PTH at 8 pg was anabolic and increased bone mass by increasing trabecular thickness and number. Infusion of 16 pg induced hypercalcemia and death. In experiment 2, lower dose daily infusions of 0.25-4 pg PTH per 100 g did not increase bone mass. In experiment 3, in rats pretreated with dichloromethylene diphosphonate (CI,MDP) to inhibit resorption and subsequently exhibiting decreased bone formation, PTH, irrespective of the method of administration, reversed the inhibitory effects of CI,MDP on bone formation. Thus, intermittent and continuous PTH increase bone formation independently of effects on bone resorption, but only intermittent PTH increases bone mass consistently.

Parathyroid hormone — a bone anabolic and catabolic agent

Current Opinion in Pharmacology, 2005

A key factor in the control of bone remodelling is parathyroid hormone (PTH), the principal regulator of calcium homeostasis. Elevated levels of PTH increase bone turnover, leading to either anabolic or catabolic effects on the skeleton depending upon the pattern and duration of elevation. New evidence indicating that downregulation of an osteocyte signal (sclerostin, the SOST gene product) occurs in response to intermittent PTH has rekindled interest in the key role played by osteocytes and bone-lining cells in coordinating surface anabolic activity. Microarray analysis has also delineated many genes and pathways regulated by intermittent and continuous PTH in osteoblasts and whole bones.

Effects of cyclic vs. daily treatment with human parathyroid hormone (1–34) on murine bone structure and cellular activity

Bone, 2007

Previously, we demonstrated that the human parathyroid hormone (1-34) fragment (hPTH(1-34)) increased bone strength in proportion to its effects on BMD and cortical bone structure in the murine femur by comparing cyclic vs. daily administration of hPTH(1-34). Both cyclic and daily regimens increased vertebral BMD similarly at 7 weeks. Here, we have examined the effects of daily and cyclic PTH regimens on bone structure and cellular activity by static and dynamic histomorphometry. Twenty-week-old, intact female C57BL/J6 mice were treated with the following regimens (n = 7 for each group): daily injection with vehicle for 7 weeks [control]; daily injection with hPTH(1-34) (40 μg/kg/day) for 7 weeks [daily PTH]; and daily injection with hPTH(1-34) (40 μg/kg/ day) and vehicle alternating weekly for 7 weeks [cyclic PTH]. At days 9 and 10, and 2 and 3 prior to euthanasia, calcein (10 mg/kg) was injected subcutaneously. At the end of study, the lumbar vertebrae 1-3 and the left femora were excised, cleaned, and processed for histomorphometry. In the lumbar vertebrae, daily and cyclic PTH regimens significantly increased cancellous bone volume (BV/TV), trabecular number, trabecular osteoclast and osteoblast perimeters, trabecular mineral apposition rate (MAR) and bone formation rate (BFR), and periosteal MAR and BFR compared to control, with no significant difference between the two PTH-treated groups. Increased trabecular tunneling was observed in both PTHtreated groups. Both regimens tended to increase vertebral cortical bone formation parameters with the effects at the periosteum site being more marked than those at the endosteum site, resulting in a significant increase in cortical width. In the femur, the effects of cyclic PTH on BV/TV, trabecular width and number, trabecular and endocortical osteoblast and osteoclast perimeters, cortical width, and trabecular and periosteal BFR were less marked than those of daily PTH. A cyclic PTH regimen was as effective as a daily regimen in improving cancellous and cortical bone microarchitecture and cellular activity in the murine vertebra.

Anabolic action of parathyroid hormone (PTH) does not compromise bone matrix mineral composition or maturation

Intermittent administration of parathyroid hormone (PTH) is used to stimulate bone formation in patients with osteoporosis. A reduction in the degree of matrix mineralisation has been reported during treatment, which may reflect either production of undermineralised matrix or a greater proportion of new matrix within the bone samples assessed. To explore these alternatives, high resolution synchrotron-based Fourier Transform Infrared Microspectroscopy (sFTIRM) coupled with calcein labelling was used in a region of non-remodelling cortical bone to determine bone composition during anabolic PTH treatment compared with region-matched samples from controls. 8 week old male C57BL/6 mice were treated with vehicle or 50 μg/kg PTH, 5 times/week for 4 weeks (n = 7–9/ group). Histomorphometry confirmed greater trabecular and periosteal bone formation and 3-point bending tests confirmed greater femoral strength in PTH-treated mice. Dual calcein labels were used to match bone regions by time-since-mineralisation (bone age) and composition was measured by sFTIRM in six 15 μm 2 regions at increasing depth perpendicular to the most immature bone on the medial periosteal edge; this allowed in situ measurement of progressive changes in bone matrix during its maturation. The sFTIRM method was validated in vehicle-treated bones where the expected progressive increases in mineral:matrix ratio and collagen crosslink type ratio were detected with increasing bone maturity. We also observed a gradual increase in carbonate content that strongly correlated with an increase in longitudinal stretch of the collagen triple helix (amide I:amide II ratio). PTH treatment did not alter the progressive changes in any of these parameters from the periosteal edge through to the more mature bone. These data provide new information about how the bone matrix matures in situ and confirm that bone deposited during PTH treatment undergoes normal collagen maturation and normal mineral accrual.

Anabolic Action of Parathyroid Hormone Is Skeletal Site Specific at the Tissue and Cellular Levels in Mice

Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 2002

The cellular and molecular events triggering the anabolic response of the skeleton to exogenous parathyroid hormone (PTH) are not well understood. Despite the numerous bone mass studies in rats, few data are available for mice. Therefore, we treated 10-week-old female intact C57BL/6J mice with human PTH(1-34) delivered subcutaneously at a dose of 40 g/kg per day 5 days a week for 3 weeks and 7 weeks. Bone mineral density (BMD) of total bone, femur, tibia, and lumbar vertebrae was measured weekly by PIXImus. Bone turnover was examined by histomorphometry, and gene expression of bone formation and resorption markers and osteoclastogenesis regulators in the excised femur and tibia was assessed by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) at 3 weeks and 7 weeks. The PTH-stimulated increase in BMD was more prominent in the tibia and femur than in the lumbar vertebrae, with an anabolic effect detected within 1-2 weeks and BMD continuing to increase. The appearance of a detectable PTH-stimulated increase in BMD was slower in the lumbar vertebrae where the increase was only significant after 7 weeks of treatment. Histomorphometric analysis of the proximal tibia at both 3 weeks and 7 weeks indicated significant time-dependent increases in trabecular area, trabecular number, trabecular and cortical widths, and osteoblast and osteoid perimeters. In the lumbar vertebrae, these stimulatory effects of PTH on trabecular area, trabecular number, and cortical width were smaller and not detected until 7 weeks. PTH-stimulated increases in bone turnover were evident by increased gene expression of osteocalcin (OC), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), and receptor of activator nuclear factor B (NF-B) ligand (RANKL) in the tibia and femur. No significant difference in gene expression was observed between the two long bone sites. In conclusion, PTH exerts an anabolic action at the tissue and cellular levels in intact mice and the magnitude and temporal pattern of this anabolic action, as assessed by densitometry and histomorphometry, are skeletal site specific. (J Bone Miner Res 2002;17:808 -816)

Continuous Parathyroid Hormone Induces Cortical Porosity in the Rat: Effects on Bone Turnover and Mechanical Properties

Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 2004

We examined the time course effects of continuous PTH on cortical bone and mechanical properties. PTH increased cortical bone turnover and induced intracortical porosity with no deleterious effect on bone strength. Withdrawal of PTH increased maximum torque to failure and stiffness with no change in energy absorbed. Introduction: The skeletal response of cortical bone to parathyroid hormone (PTH) is complex and species dependent. Intermittent administration of PTH to rats increases periosteal and endocortical bone formation but has no known effects on intracortical bone turnover. The effects of continuous PTH on cortical bone are not clearly established. Materials and Methods: Eighty-four 6-month-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three control, six PTH, and two PTH withdrawal (WD) groups. They were subcutaneously implanted with osmotic pumps loaded with vehicle or 40 g/kg BW/day human PTH(1-34) for 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, and 28 days. After 7 days, PTH was withdrawn from two groups of animals for 7 (7d-PTH/7d-WD) and 21 days (7d-PTH/21d-WD). Histomorphometry was performed on periosteal and endocortical surfaces of the tibial diaphysis in all groups. CT of tibias and mechanical testing by torsion of femora were performed on 28d-PTH and 7d-PTH/21d-WD animals. Results and Conclusions: Continuous PTH increased periosteal and endocortical bone formation, endocortical osteoclast perimeter, and cortical porosity in a time-dependent manner, but did not change the mechanical properties of the femur, possibly because of addition of new bone onto periosteal and endocortical surfaces. Additionally, withdrawal of PTH restored normal cortical porosity and increased maximum torque to failure and stiffness. We conclude that continuous administration of PTH increased cortical porosity in rats without having a detrimental effect on bone mechanical properties.