Scientists find a bone-building switch that could fight osteoporosis — SkimNews
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- AP503 activated GPR133 and significantly increased bone strength in both healthy mice and mice with osteoporosis-like bone loss.
- GPR133 impairment from genetic changes caused mice to develop early bone-density loss resembling osteoporosis in humans.
- GPR133 activation encouraged bone-forming osteoblast activity while reducing bone-resorbing osteoclast activity, shifting the balance toward bone retention.
- AP503 was recently identified through a computer-assisted screen as a substance that stimulates GPR133.
- AP503 strengthened skeletal muscle in an earlier Leipzig University study, while the new findings demonstrate a parallel effect on bone.
- Leipzig University researchers are pursuing follow-up projects to clarify GPR133's functions and investigate whether AP503 might apply to other diseases.
Why it matters: This is directly relevant to Germany's roughly 6 million people with osteoporosis: GPR133 shifts bone biology toward formation and away from resorption, whereas existing therapies have limitations and side effects; AP503's benefits have so far been demonstrated only in mice.
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