Cannabinoid blockers may benefit bones
Drugs that block cannabinoid receptors may represent a “promising” new treatment for osteoporosis and other bone diseases, according to Aymen Idris, of the bone research group at Aberdeen University.
Speaking at the European Calcified Tissue Society meeting in Nice on
7 June, he explained that cannabinoid receptor antagonists had potent
inhibitory effects on osteoclasts — cells which cause bone destruction
and progressive loss of bone tissue in osteoporosis.
His research group had looked at cannabinoid receptor blockers in bone
marrow cultures. Early experiments had shown more potent effects in inhibiting
osteoclast formation and bone resorption than with a bisphosphonate.
Further studies showed that the drugs were also effective at preventing
bone loss in mice whose ovaries had been removed. “There is a lot
of work still to do before we try these drugs in patients with osteoporosis,
but I think there is a real prospect of this happening within the next
five years,” Dr Idris predicted. |
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