Current Pharmaceutical Design - Volume 9, Issue 32, 2003

The present issue of “Current Pharmaceutical Design” is dedicated to osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone mass and deterioration of bone leading to increased risk of fracture. It is often called the “silent epidemic” because bone loss occurs without symptoms. One in two women and one in eight men over the age of 50 has osteoporosis, and up to 200 million people worldwide are at risk of osteopor Read More

Bisphosphonates are currently the most important and effective class of anti-resorptive drugs available, but the exact molecular mechanisms by which they inhibit osteoclast-mediated bone resorption have only recently been identified. Due to the targeting of bisphosphonates to bone mineral and the ability of osteoclasts to release bone-bound bisphosphonate, a direct effect on mature osteoclasts appears to be the most impo Read More

Calcitonin has been approved for the treatment of osteoporosis and other diseases involving accelerated bone turnover for approximately 25 years. The most commonly studied and prescribed form is salmon calcitonin, which has a greater efficacy in clinical use. A wealth of well-controlled clinical studies have demonstrated that calcitonin preserves or increases bone mineral density (BMD) and reduces the risk of vertebral f Read More

Runx2/Cbfa/AML3 is a member of the runt homology domain family of transcription factors, essential for osteoblast differentiation and bone formation. Defining the molecular mechanisms by which Runx2 can function as a master regulatory gene for activating the program of osteoblastogenesis has provided novel insights for transcriptional regulation of tissue-specific genes. Regulation of Runx expression has t Read More

Osteoporosis and related fractures represent major public health problems that are expected to increase dramatically in importance as the population ages. Dietary risk factors are particularly important, as they are modifiable. However, most of the attention to dietary risk factors for osteoporosis has focused almost exclusively on calcium and vitamin D. Recently, there has been considerable interest in the effects of a Read More