The balance between adipogenesis and osteogenesis in bone regeneration by platelet-rich plasma for age-related osteoporosis

The aim of this study was to develop a new diagnostic and therapeutic approach for the treatment of osteoporosis. Previously, we demonstrated that intraosseous transplantation of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treated-osteoblast-like cells into ovariectomized senescence-accelerated mice (OVX-SAMP8) prevented the development of osteoporosis. In continuation, we aimed to explore the complex etiology of osteoporosis using this platform. An inverse relationship between bone marrow adipogenesis and osteogenesis has been suggested in the development of osteoporosis but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly described. To address these issues, we used PRP to inhibit adipocyte differentiation by promoting osteoblastic differentiation in adipocytes. In addition, a positive correlation between an increase in bone marrow adipocytes and bone loss was established. We assessed this relationship using an osteoporotic animal disease model which consisted of young (for prevention) and old (for treatment) OVX-SAMP8 mice. This animal model demonstrated that PRP treatment mainly exerted its action via promoting bone regeneration but also appeared to suppress adipogenesis within the marrow. The findings and methodology of this study could potentially be applied in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.