Bone Abstracts

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has recently emerged as a factor able to concurrently target age related diseases as neurodegenerative disease, osteoporosis and metabolic syndrome. However the role of BDNF in the frailty syndrome associated with aging has never been investigated. The deletion of central BDNF gene in mice results in increased bone mass and in vitro experiments show that BDNF has a positive effect on bone. BDNF expression is mediated by estroge...

Osteocalcin, the neurotrophins BDNF/NGF and Oxytocin(Oxt) have pleiotropic effects on energy metabolism, bone mass, reproduction and brain functions suggesting a coordinated regulation. The carboxylated osteocalcin(Ost) acts on bone, while the uncarboxylated Ost shows hormone-like actions. NGF regulates female fertility elevating LH, Ost−/− mice show high LH in spite of decreased testosterone. BDNF/NGF-Oxt-Ost interactions was investigated by RT-PCR meas...