title: Immunization with FSHβ fusion protein antigen prevents bone loss in a rat ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis model.
abstract: Osteoporosis, a metabolic bone disease, threatens postmenopausal women globally. Hormone replacement therapy (HTR), especially estrogen replacement therapy (ERT), is used widely in the clinic because it has been generally accepted that postmenopausal osteoporosis is caused by estrogen deficiency. However, hypogonadal α and β estrogen receptor null mice were only mildly osteopenic, and mice with either receptor deleted had normal bone mass, indicating that estrogen may not be the only mediator that induces osteoporosis. Recently, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), the serum concentration of which increases from the very beginning of menopause, has been found to play a key role in postmenopausal osteoporosis by promoting osteoclastogenesis. In this article, we confirmed that exogenous FSH can enhance osteoclast differentiation in vitro and that this effect can be neutralized by either an anti-FSH monoclonal antibody or anti-FSH polyclonal sera raised by immunizing animals with a recombinant GST-FSHβ fusion protein antigen. Moreover, immunizing ovariectomized rats with the GST-FSHβ antigen does significantly prevent trabecular bone loss and thereby enhance the bone strength, indicating that a FSH-based vaccine may be a promising therapeutic strategy to slow down bone loss in postmenopausal women.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science, Northwest University, No. 229 North Taibai Road, Xi'an 710069, PR China.
authors.forename: Wenxin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Geng
authors.forename: Xingrong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Huicong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Jihong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Liwen
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Fulin
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D015519:Bone Density; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000378:metabolism; D001862:Bone Resorption / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism; D037201:Follicle Stimulating Hormone, beta Subunit / Q000276:immunology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007114:Immunization / Q000379:methods*; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D010010:Osteoclasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D010012:Osteogenesis; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D010052:Ovariectomy; D011859:Radiography; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000276:immunology* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000941:Antigens; D037201:Follicle Stimulating Hormone, beta Subunit; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins