Project 176420

Glucocorticoids are a group of steroid drugs that are used to treat inflammatory conditions such as asthma, arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. One of the major side-effects of these drugs is osteoporosis in which the bones become weak and prone to fracture. Research has shown that glucocorticoids alter the response of bone cells to endogenous hormones resulting in less bone deposition and eventual osteoporosis. We have examined the effects of glucocorticoids on osteoblasts, the cells that make bone, and found that they alter the responses to hormones such and parathyroid hormone (PTH). In our current work we will continue to identify the key changes to signaling in osteoblasts and test the effects of these changes in mouse models. By understanding these changes we may be able to find ways to avoid osteoporosis when patients have to take steroid antiinflammatory drugs.