Bone is constantly being broken down and remodeled. When bone resorption outpaces bone regeneration, it causes osteoporosis.
Bone is constantly being broken down and remodeled. When bone resorption outpaces bone regeneration, it causes osteoporosis. Production of reactive oxygen species, a form of oxidative stress, has been predicted to promote bone loss, but a source of reactive oxygen is unknown. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Katrin Schröder and colleagues at Goethe-University identify a relationship between NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4), an enzyme that promotes reactive oxygen species formation, and bone resorption. In a mouse model of osteoporosis, genetic disruption or drug-induced loss of NOX4 protected the mice from bone loss. Additionally, the authors identify a small nuclear polymorphism in NOX4 in human patients that associated with increased bone turnover. Together, these data suggest treatments targeting NOX4 activity may benefit osteoporosis patients.
Source-Eurekalert