The role of RANK ligand/osteoprotegerin in rheumatoid arthritis

In the complex system of bone remodeling, the receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand (RANKL)/osteoprotegerin (OPG) pathway is the coupling factor between bone formation and bone resorption. RANKL binds to the RANK receptor of pre-osteoclasts and mature osteoclasts and stimulates their activation and differentiation. The production of RANKL/OPG by osteoblasts is influenced by hormones, growth factors and cytokines, which each have a different effect on the production of RANKL and OPG. Ultimately, the balance between RANKL and OPG determines the degree of proliferation and activity of the osteoclasts. In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), bone erosions are the result of osteoclastic bone resorption at the sites of synovitis, where RANKL expression is also found. Furthermore, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) bone edema in RA indicates the presence of active inflammation within bone and the presence of osteitis, which is also associated with the expression of RANKL. Bone loss has been documented in the cortical and trabecular bone in the joints of the hand of RA patients. Both synovitis and periarticular bone involvement (osteitis and bone loss) are essential components of RA: they occur early in the disease and both are predictive for the occurrence and progression of bone damage. RANKL knockout mice and mice treated with OPG did not develop focal bone loss, in spite of persistent joint inflammation. Inhibition of osteoclasts by denosumab, a humanized antibody that selectively binds RANKL, has revealed in patients with RA that the occurrence of erosions and periarticular bone loss can be halted, however without affecting synovial inflammation. This disconnect between inflammation and bone destruction opens new ways to separately focus treatment on inflammation and osteoclastogenesis for preventing and/or minimizing the connection between joints and subchondral bone and bone marrow.