Researchers Cure Osteoporosis in Mice

An international team led by researchers from Columbia University Medical Center was able to cure osteoporosis in mice and rats through a daily dose of an experimental compound that inhibits serotonin synthesis in the gut. Recent research has already shown that serotonin in the gut stalls bone formation. This latest finding could lead to novel therapies that build new bone; most current osteoporosis drugs can only prevent the breakdown of old bone. The research results were published in the Feb. 7 issue of Nature Medicine . "New therapies that inhibit the production of serotonin in the gut have the potential to become a novel class of drugs to be added to the therapeutic arsenal against osteoporosis," said Gerard Karsenty , M.D. Ph.D., chair of the Department of Genetics and Development at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons , lead author of the paper. Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become fragile and porous, increasing the risk of breaks.