The Research On Relationship Between The Serum Osteoprotegerin/Receptor Activator Of Nuclear Factor-κB Ligand And Osteoporosis In Postmenopausal Women

Background:Osteoporosis (OP) is characterized by low bone mass and microarchitectural deterioration of bone tissue, with a consequent increase in bone fragility and susceptibility to fracture. According to the statistic of WHO, 75% women over age 50 are suffering from post-menopause osteoporosis. 4 in 10 of those women will have osteoporotic fracture in their lifetime, which will affect the quality of their life and even make them die.The identification of the OPG/RANKL/RANK system as the dominant, final mediator of osteoclastogenesis represents a major advance in bone biology. It has ended a long-standing search for the specific factor produced by preosteoblastic/stromal cells that was both necessary and sufficient for osteoclast development. The initial cloning and characterization of OPG as a soluble, decoy receptor belonging to the TNF receptor superfamily was the first step that eventually led to an unraveling of this system. RANKL, the molecule blocked by OPG, was identified as the key mediator of osteoclastogenesis in a membrane-bound form expressed on preosteoblastic/stromal cells and a soluble form. RANKL, in turn, was shown to bind its receptor, RANK, on osteoclast lineage cells. The ratio of OPG/RANKL has been implicated in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis and other...