Possible cure for chronic osteoporosis found

A substance that can be used as a cure for osteoporosis, a chronic intractable bone disease, has been discovered. A research team at Seoul National University School of Dentistry led by professor Min Byung-moo announced Sunday that it found a substance that facilitates the formation of bones while preventing bone loss.

A functional peptide substance in “vitronectin,” a type of protein commonly found in serum and bone tissues, was found to facilitate the differentiation of osteoblasts that synthesize bones, stimulating the cells to form bones while hindering osteoclasts from breaking down bone tissues.

When the research team injected this substance into a rat whose ovary had been removed, the number of osteoblasts in its bones increased. This hints at a possibility that the functional peptide substance can be useful in the treatment of osteoporosis, especially for elderly women with the disease given that around 30 percent of postmenopausal women develop osteoporosis due to decreased ovarian production of hormones.

“In the case of periodontal diseases, there is no way to cure it once bone loss occurs because of chronic inflammation,” said Professor Min. “To find a solution to this problem, we started to look into the process of bone loss and recovery, and discovered a substance that helps bone recovery.”