Basic research for the creation of new therapeutic agents for osteoporosis targeting opioid growth factor receptors

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K17020
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 57010:Oral biological science-related
• Research Institution: Aichi Gakuin University
• Principal Investigator: Kenjiro Tanaka 愛知学院大学, 歯学部, 歯学部研究員 (80780296)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: オピオイド / ナルトレキソン / オピオイド増殖因子受容体

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Opioids are widely used painkillers in the world. In recent years, it has been often reported that long-term opioid patients are at increased risk of osteoporosis. However, there are many unclear points about the mechanism. So I studied the effects of opioids on bone tissue. As a result, it was found that a large amount of opioid growth factor receptor was expressed in osteoblasts, which negatively regulated cell proliferation. It was also found that administration of naltrexone, an opioid growth factor receptor blocker, to mice significantly increased bone mass compared to the control group. These results suggest that naltrexone may be a novel therapeutic agent for osteoporosis that has a bone-increasing effect.

Free Research Field

薬理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

現在、多くの骨粗鬆症治療薬が使用されているが、骨芽細胞に作用し、骨量を増加させる作用の薬はほとんどない。
歯科領域においても、歯槽骨の欠損に対して骨造成法が用いられることもあるが、直接的に骨を増やすという作用のものは少ない。本研究では、骨芽細胞に存在するオピオイド増殖因子受容体に着目したが、このオピオイド増殖因子受容体が骨芽細胞の細胞増殖に関与していることを明らかにし、骨量増加作用を持つ新たな骨粗鬆症治療薬、骨造成薬の創出に繋がると考えている。