Scientists may have found a new way to not just slow osteoporosis but actually reverse it, and the discovery centers on a single cell receptor that acts like an on and off switch for bone building. Researchers from the University of Leipzig in Germany and Shandong University in China identified a receptor called GPR133 as a key player in how the body creates and maintains strong, dense bones. When this receptor is present and active, the specialized cells responsible for building bone work at full strength. When it is missing or impaired, bones grow weak in ways that closely resemble what happens in people with osteoporosis. To test whether the receptor could be switched on artificially, the team used a newly developed chemical called AP503 on mice with osteoporosis-like bone loss and then carefully measured what happened next.
The results were striking across the board. Mice treated with AP503 showed significant improvements in bone strength, and the benefit was even greater when the treatment was combined with regular physical activity, suggesting the two approaches work together in a powerful way. Osteoporosis affects hundreds of millions of people around the world, particularly women going through or past menopause, and while treatments exist to slow its progression, no current drug can actually rebuild bone that has already been lost. That gap is exactly what researchers hope this discovery could eventually help fill. Mice without the GPR133 gene developed weak bones at an early age in ways that closely mirrored osteoporosis in humans, which suggests the underlying biological process likely works similarly across species. The research team believes that future medications targeting this receptor could both prevent bone loss before it begins and restore bone density in people who already have the condition.
Source: https://www.sciencealert.com/breakthrough-to-strengthen-bones-could-reverse-osteoporosis
