Decoding osteoporosis: Understanding the disease, exploring current and new therapies and emerging targets
Dhruvee Patel, Bhagawati Saxena
Abstract
Bone is a dynamic tissue that is constantly changing and adapting through multiple processes such as osteogenesis, modeling, and remodeling, which usually include the coordinated activities of osteoclasts and osteoblasts. However, a disturbance in this cycle may result in complications with bone health. One of this complication is osteoporosis, a condition that affects globally over 0.2 billion people and causes nearly 90 lakhs fractures yearly. Osteoporosis is a complex disorder impacted by a range of variables, including lifestyle choices, physical activity , genetics , hormonal and endocrine systems, comorbidities (pre-existing diseases), and the use of certain drugs. This article delivers a short overview of the osteoporosis, its diagnosis, and management by non-pharmacological and pharmacological interventions and limitations of existing medications. The review article also highlights both emerging medications and novel targets for preventing and managing osteoporosis, providing a comprehensive look at future therapeutic strategies aimed at protecting bone strength and retarding bone loss . New medications for osteoporosis include romosozumab , cinacalcet and tiliroside. Potential novel targets for preventing bone loss and osteoporosis which are explored in current article include Wnt/β-catenin pathway, fibroblast activation protein, NLRP3 inflammasome , cuproptosis, P2X7 receptor , tumor necrosis factor receptor associated factor 3, Krüppel-like factor, Toll like receptor 4 , Yes-associated protein and the transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif and Sirtuin 3 .