Therapeutic avenues in bone repair: Harnessing an anabolic osteopeptide, PEPITEM, to boost bone growth and prevent bone loss.

ABSTRACT: The existing suite of therapies for bone diseases largely act to prevent further bone loss but fail to stimulate healthy bone formation and repair. We describe an endogenous osteopeptide (PEPITEM) with anabolic osteogenic activity, regulating bone remodeling in health and disease. PEPITEM acts directly on osteoblasts through NCAM-1 signaling to promote their maturation and formation of new bone, leading to enhanced trabecular bone growth and strength. Simultaneously, PEPITEM stimulates an inhibitory paracrine loop: promoting osteoblast release of the decoy receptor osteoprotegerin, which sequesters RANKL, thereby limiting osteoclast activity and bone resorption. In disease models, PEPITEM therapy halts osteoporosis-induced bone loss and arthritis-induced bone damage in mice and stimulates

SUBMITTER: Lewis JW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11148860 | biostudies-literature | 2024 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature