Repurposing denosumab for recalcitrant bone healing.
Sanjay Agarwala1, Mayank Vijayvargiya2
1Orthopedics, PD Hinduja National Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India drsa2011@gmail.com.
BMJ Case Reports
|February 9, 2021
Summary
Denosumab, a bone-healing drug, successfully treated three cases of impaired fracture healing. This treatment enhanced bone union and avoided the need for repeat surgeries, showing promising results for recalcitrant fractures.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Pharmacology
- Regenerative Medicine
Background:
- Fracture healing involves distinct phases: hematoma formation, soft callus, hard callus, and remodeling.
- Non-healing fractures often result from an arrest in one of these phases, frequently necessitating surgical intervention.
- Repurposing existing medications offers a potential alternative to surgery for complex fracture cases.
Related Concept Videos
01:40Bone Remodeling
39.4K
Bone remodeling is a continuous and balanced process of bone resorption by osteoclasts and bone formation by osteoblasts. In adults, it helps maintain bone mass and calcium homeostasis. While mechanical stress can stimulate turnover as part of the normal maintenance and reparative process, several hormones also regulate bone remodeling.
39.4K
01:31Osteoclasts in Bone Remodeling
3.5K
Osteoclasts are cells responsible for bone resorption and remodeling. They originate from hematopoietic progenitor cells present in the bone marrow. Numerous progenitor cells fuse to form multinucleated cells, each with 10-20 nuclei. A single osteoclast has a diameter of 150 to 200 µM. These cells have ruffled borders that break down the underlying bone tissue and release minerals such as calcium into the blood in bone resorption. Osteoclasts cling to bones with their ruffled edges during...
3.5K
01:29Bone Disorders
4.8K
Aging and its effect on bone remodeling is the most common cause of bone disorders. In young and healthy people, bone deposition and resorption happen at an equal rate to maintain optimal bone health.
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...
4.8K