title: Soluble receptor activator of nuclear factor- kappaB Ligand (sRANKL)/osteoprotegerin balance in ageing and age-associated diseases.
abstract: Recently, novel members of the TNF/TNF receptor superfamily, receptor activator of nuclear factor- kappa B ligand (RANKL), its receptor RANK, and the decoy receptor osteoprotegerin (OPG), have been identified as paracrine mediators of both the immune system and bone functions. The balance of RANK/RANK-L and OPG is critical for osteoclastogenesis modulation and physiological bone remodeling. In order to evaluate whether RANKL/OPG balance is modified by ageing, we analyzed, by imunoassay, systemic levels of OPG and sRANKL in healthy elderly subjects (age range from 70 to over 90 years) and in patients affected by two age-related diseases, osteoarthritis (OA) and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), characterized by bone metabolism alteration and involvement of the immune system. We demonstrated that (a) plasma concentrations of OPG increased significantly with age; (b) conversely, sRANKL significantly declined in the group of subjects aged between 81 and 90 years, being similar to the young controls in the other age groups; (c) in OA and PMR, circulating OPG did not differ from plasma levels found in age-matched control groups, while sRANKL concentration was significantly increased compared to controls. Hence, in ageing, the sRANKL/OPG system appears to be modified, with prominent changes in circulating OPG levels; in OA and PMR, the sRANKL/OPG balance alteration was shown to be mainly due to the increase of plasma sRANKL concentration.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Immunologia e Genetica, Istituto di Ricerca Codivilla-Putti, Istituti Ortopedici Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy. pulsilia@alma.unibo.it
authors.forename: Lia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pulsatelli
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dolzani
authors.forename: Tania
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Silvestri
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Caraceni
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Facchini
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ravaglia
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Salvarani
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Melicòni
authors.forename: Erminia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mariani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000097:blood*; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000097:blood; D053244:Osteoprotegerin; D011111:Polymyalgia Rheumatica / Q000097:blood; D053245:RANK Ligand; D053246:Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-kappa B; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear / Q000097:blood*; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; D012737:Sex Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D006023:Glycoproteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D053244:Osteoprotegerin; D053245:RANK Ligand; D053246:Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-kappa B; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; C505686:TNFRSF11A protein, human; C506030:TNFRSF11B protein, human; C505688:TNFSF11 protein, human