possible estrogen replacement
Cells on their way to forming bone also produce an estrogen-like substance
that mimics the naturally occurring female sex hormone estradiol, investigators
at the Yale School of Medicine reported on May 12 in the online edition of
the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. — By Bill Hathaway
T H I S
Researchers hope such a molecule might provide some of the benefits but, hopefully,
not the health risk of traditional hormonal therapies for menopause and bone
loss.
Researchers in the laboratories of Thomas L. McCarthy and Michael Centrella
in the Department of Surgery isolated this estrogen-like molecule from rat-derived
osteoblasts, or cells that can build bones.
As the osteoblasts differentiated in culture, they produced a molecule that
the investigators tentatively termed “Ob-SERM.” This substance
triggered several of the biochemical responses induced by estrogen receptor
activation. The osteoblast-derived molecule, however, was in part functionally
and chemically distinct from estradiol, raising hopes that it may be a safer
alternative to traditional hormone replacement therapies.
Estradiol plays an important role in maintaining skeletal health by balancing
the ongoing processes of bone resorption and bone formation that normally occur
throughout life. Restoration of estrogen levels after menopause helps to mitigate
some of the more harmful side effects of hormone loss that generally occur
during aging. However, therapy with native estradiol has also been linked to
increased risk of some kinds of cancers.
Other Yale medical school researchers who contributed to the study include
Mary E. Clough and Caren M. Gundberg in the Department of Orthopaedics and
Rehabilitation. The study was funded by the National Institute of Arthritis
and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.
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Campus Notes
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