Abstract
Hepatitis C combination therapy comprising ribavirin and interferon-α causes dramatic improvement with the sustained virological response; however, this treatment may result in the loss of bone mineral density. To investigate the effects of ribavirin on bone cells, we examined osteoblast differentiation as well as the formation of osteoclasts from their precursors. Ribavirin enhances osteoclast formation through osteoblasts by up-regulation of TRANCE/RANKL gene expression, whereas it has no significant effect on either osteoblast differentiation or on bone formation. Understanding ribavirin’s underlying mechanism of action on bone cells will enable the improved management of bone loss in chronic hepatitis C patients.
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Acknowledgments
We thank A. Ko and K. Kim for assistance. We also thank C. Perchonock for critical reading and providing helpful comments on this manuscript. This work was supported in part by Chonnam National University (to J. Lee) and Grant R13-2002-013-03001-0 (to N. Kim) from the Korea Science & Engineering Foundation through the Medical Research Center for Gene Regulation at Chonnam National University.
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Lee, J., Kim, J.H., Kim, K. et al. Ribavirin enhances osteoclast formation through osteoblasts via up-regulation of TRANCE/RANKL. Mol Cell Biochem 296, 17–24 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-006-9293-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-006-9293-5