Medicina molecular y genética

Osteoporosis Treatment with New Osteogenic Factors, Osteoporosis

Abstract

Masayoshi Yamaguchi

Bone homeostasis is maintained through a delicate balance between osteoblastic bone formation and osteoclastic bone resorption. Bone loss may be due to decreased osteoblastic bone formation and increased osteoclastic bone resorption. Osteoporosis is induced with its accompanying decrease in bone mass. Nutrition and functional food factors may play a role in the prevention of bone loss. This is worthy of notice in the treatment of osteoporsis. It has been shown that functional food factors including zinc, genistein and vitamin K2 (menaquinone-7) have potential osteogenic effects in vitro and in vivo. These factors have been shown to have stimulatory effects on osteoblastic bone formation and suppressive effects on osteoclastic bone resorption. Moreover, the osteogenic effects of genistein, menaquinone-7, and vitamin D3 have been found to be synergistically enhanced with combination of zinc, which plays an essential role in protein synthesis at translational process and gene expression related to zinc finger transcription factors. Intake with their combination has been shown to have potential effects in the treatment of bone loss in animal models of osteoporosis and human subjects. Supplemental intake with these compositions may have potential effects on osteoporosis treatment.