2024-07-10 23:07:32
(ANSA) – ROME, JULY 10 – A new hormone has been discovered that can build strong bones and could be used as a basis for therapy for osteoporosis and to help heal bone fractures.
The hormone helps protect the bones of breastfeeding mothers, explain the researchers from UCSF and UC Davis who conducted the study published in Nature. Thanks to it, the bones of breastfeeding mothers remain strong despite losing calcium in the milk.
Researchers have shown that in mice, the hormone known as Maternal Brain-Linked Hormone (CCN3) increases bone density and strength.
The study solves a long-standing puzzle about how women’s bones remain relatively strong during breastfeeding, even as calcium is stripped from them to support milk production.
More than 200 million people worldwide suffer from osteoporosis, a serious weakening of the bones that can lead to frequent fractures. Women are especially at risk for osteoporosis after menopause because of declining levels of estrogen, which normally promotes bone formation. Estrogen levels are also low during breastfeeding, yet osteoporosis and bone fractures are much rarer during this time, suggesting that something besides estrogen promotes bone growth.
Scientists have previously found that in female mice, but not males, blocking a particular hormone receptor found in neurons in a small area of the brain leads to huge increases in bone mass. They suspected that a hormone in the blood was responsible for the super-strong bones, and in this study they finally found it: they pinpointed CCN3 as the culprit. Without CCN3 production in these specific neurons, lactating female mice rapidly lost bone, and their pups began to lose weight, confirming the hormone’s importance in maintaining bone health during lactation.
By increasing CCN3 in the blood of young and older adults of both sexes, their bone mass and strength increased significantly over weeks. CCN3 was able to more than double bone mass. (ANSA).
2024-07-10 23:07:32