8693 Dexamethasone Increases Bone Mass In Mice
Authors: Sultana Farhath , Temple Morgan L , Min Kim Se , Ryu Vitaly , Korkmaz Funda , Gumerova Anisa , Georgii Pevnev , Cheliadinova Uliana , Vasilyeva Darya , Laurencin Victoria , Witztum Ronit , Barak Orly , Cullen Liam , Rani Pallapati Anusha Rani , Rojekar Satish , Gimenez Roig Judit , Lizneva Daria , Zhou Weibin , Yuen Tony , Zaidi Mone 
Published: October 2024

Disclosure: F. Sultana: None. M.L. Temple: None. S. Kim: None. V. Ryu: None. F. Korkmaz: None. A. Gumerova: None. P. Georgii: None. U. Cheliadinova: None. D. Vasilyeva: None. V. Laurencin: None. R. Witztum: None. O. Barak: None. L. Cullen: None. A.R. Pallapati: None. S. Rojekar: None. J. Gimenez Roig: None. D. Lizneva: None. W. Zhou: None. T. Yuen: None. M. Zaidi: None.

Severe osteoporosis and bone fractures are strongly associated with long-term or recurring glucocorticoid use in people. Steroids have traditionally been used as an anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive agent, and while their use has been widely implicated in causing bone loss by suppressing osteoblastic bone formation, recent data have consistently shown mixed results in mice. It is also important to stress that dexamethasone (DEX) in particular has been used for over three decades in cell cultures to stimulate osteoblast formation. We therefore posit that mechanisms other than direct steroid effects on osteoblasts contribute to bone loss, and that, at least physiologically, steroids stimulate (rather than inhibit) bone formation. Here, we have aimed to clarify the effects of DEX on bone metabolism. We first studied the effects of low and high doses of DEX (1 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg), given daily as intraperitoneal injections to 8-week-old C57BL/6 mice. Micro-CT showed that DEX markedly increased bone microarchitecture, including the bone volume fraction, connectivity density, and trabecular number, while decreasing trabecular spacing in femoral epiphyses compared with vehicle-injected controls. Serum levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone did not change following DEX. These findings suggest that both low and high DEX doses are anabolic to the skeleton. Reaffirming these data, we found that adrenalectomy (with salt replacement) caused a significant decline in bone mineral density. Likewise, Tpit-/- mice, in which ACTH and corticosterone are both reduced, display reduced bone microarchitectural parameters, together with low mineralizing surface and bone formation rates on dynamic histomorphometry, impaired osteoblast formation in Cfu-f cultures, and lowered expression of the osteoblastogenesis genes Bmp2, Ibsp, Runx2 and Sp7. Finally, deleting the glucocorticoid receptor (Gr) specifically in osteoclasts in Acp5-Cre;Grfl/fl mice had no effect on microarchitectural parameters at the spine or proximal tibial metaphysis. However, and importantly, absent GR in the osteoclast, DEX increased bone mass significantly, suggesting that its notable anabolic action was mediated by the osteoblast. Our findings challenge the longstanding premise that steroids directly impact the osteoblast to cause bone loss, and that other mechanisms, such as reduced ACTH levels and/or central effects of DEX, may play a key role.

Presentation: 6/1/2024