Progression of axial spondyloarthritis

The spectrum of bone lesions in axial spondyloarthritis is of great interest. With inflammation and mechanical influence concurrence in the background, both tissue gain and tissue loss in a particular bone area can occur simultaneously. Moreover, if vertebral bone mass loss, perhaps, can be easily explained by chronic systemic inflammation, the reason of its gain, observed in axial spondyloarthritis remains a mystery. It is unclear whether it is a consequence of enhanced recovery processes after injury, adaptation to altered mechanical stress, response to inflammatory cells activation or cytokines, produced by them, or changes in Wnt signaling pathways (for example). Whether these factors act individually or collectively is also unclear.

Less Vertebral Bone Mass after Treatment with Macitentan in Mice: A Pilot Study

Purpose. Blood vessels and skeleton interact together. Endothelin-1 is a potent vasoconstrictor and also has an effect on bone metabolism. The dual antagonist to both endothelin-1 type A and B receptors, Macitentan, has been approved for clinical management of pulmonary arterial hypertension while little is known about the secondary effect of the drug on spine. We aimed to answer how vertebral bone mass responded to Macitentan treatment in mice. Methods. Sixteen male balb/c mice at 6 months were randomly assigned into 2 groups. Vehicle and Macitentan were administrated via intraperitoneal injection to Control group and Treatment group, respectively, for 4 months. At sacrifice, plasma endothelin-1 was evaluated with ELISA and vertebral bone mass was evaluated with Microcomputed Tomography and histological analysis. Results. We found higher plasma endothelin-1 level (p<0.01) and less vertebral bone mass (p<0.05) in Treatment group compared to controls. Moreover, less osteoblasts and more osteoclasts were observed in the vertebral trabecular bone in the Treatment group compared to controls, by immunohistochemistry of the cell-specific markers. Conclusions. Treatment with Macitentan is associated with significant lower vertebral bone mass and therefore the secondary effect of dual antagonists to endothelin-1 receptors on the skeleton should be monitored and investigated in clinical practice. Both osteoblasts and osteoclasts may be involved while the molecular mechanism needs to be further explored.

GLP-1 and exendin-4 can reverse hyperlipidic-related osteopenia

Increased fat mass contributes to bone deterioration. Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and its related peptide exendin 1–39 amide (Ex-4), two lipid-lowering peptides, exert osteogenic effects in diabetic states. We examined the actions of 3-day administration of GLP-1 or Ex-4 on bone remodeling markers and on bone mass and structure in hyperlipidic (HL) and hypercaloric rats. Wistar rats on a hyperlipidemic diet for 35 days were subcutaneously administered GLP-1 (0.86 nmol/kg per h), Ex-4 (0.1 nmol/kg per h), or saline (control) by continuous infusion for 3 days. After killing, tibiae were removed for total RNA and protein isolation, as well as femurs and L1–L4 vertebrae for bone mass and quality assessment. Body weight and plasma insulin were unaltered in HL rats, which showed osteopenia (by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), associated with hyperglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and hypercholesterolemia. GLP-1 or Ex-4 administration decreased the levels of glucose, triglycerides, and total cholesterol in plasma but increased osteocalcin (OC) gene expression and the osteoprotegerin (OPG)/receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) ratio – at the expense of an augmented OPG – above corresponding control values in the tibia. Each tested peptide similarly reversed the decreased femoral and vertebral bone mass in these rats, whereas the deteriorated trabecular structure in the vertebrae improved associated with normalization of bone remodeling. These findings demonstrate that GLP-1 and Ex-4 are similarly efficient in reversing the bone alterations in this HL rat model, which has proven to be useful for studying the fat–bone relationships.