The two teams have reported that the Osteogenic Growth Peptide and the Parathyroid Hormone stimulate the building of bone in osteoporotic mice. This has led to the development of drugs that can prevent bone loss and restore the porous skeleton. Osteoporosis weakens bones because of a decrease in bone density. The disease results in multiple fractures, which often leads to severe disability and complications that can even cause death. The decrease in bone density is because of internal destruction of bone tissue.
Every person has tissue that continually rebuilds itself to adjust to changing mechanical loads.
Specialized cells carry out both processes. The remodeling occurs in multiple minute foci and moves from site to site. At any moment in time, about one tenth of the total bone tissue in the body is involved in the remodeling. The processes of resorption and bone building are balanced in women until menopause and until an older age in men. After that, the remodeling is unbalanced and more bone is destroyed than built causing bone density to drop.