The number of osteoporosis patients is increasing not only in women but in men. Male osteoporosis occurs due to aging or androgen depletion therapies, leading to fractures. However, molecular mechanisms underlying male osteoporosis remain unidentified.
Here, we show that hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (Hif1α) is required for development of testosterone deficiency-induced male osteoporosis. We found that in mice Hif1α protein accumulates in osteoclasts following orchidectomy (ORX) in vivo. In vitro, Hif1α protein accumulated in osteoclasts cultured in hypoxic conditions, but Hif1α protein rather than mRNA levels were suppressed by testosterone treatment, even in hypoxia. Administration of a Hif1α inhibitor to ORX mice abrogated testosterone deficiency-induced osteoclast activation and bone loss but did not alter osteoclast activities or bone phenotypes in sham-operated, testosterone-sufficient animals. We conclude that Hif1α protein accumulation due to testosterone-deficiency promotes development of male osteoporosis. Thus Hif1α protein could be targeted to inhibit pathologically-activated osteoclasts under testosterone-deficient conditions to treat male osteoporosis patients.
Biochemical and biophysical research communications. 2016 Jan 11 [Epub]
Toshimi Tando, Yuiko Sato, Kana Miyamoto, Mayu Morita, Tami Kobayashi, Atsushi Funayama, Arihiko Kanaji, Wu Hao, Ryuichi Watanabe, Takatsugu Oike, Masaya Nakamura, Morio Matsumoto, Yoshiaki Toyama, Takeshi Miyamoto
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, 35 Shinano-machi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan., Department of Orthopedic Surgery, 35 Shinano-machi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan; Department of Musculoskeletal Reconstruction and Regeneration Surgery, 35 Shinano-machi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan., Department of Orthopedic Surgery, 35 Shinano-machi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan., Department of Dentistry and Oral Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinano-machi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan., Department of Orthopedic Surgery, 35 Shinano-machi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan., Department of Orthopedic Surgery, 35 Shinano-machi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan., Department of Orthopedic Surgery, 35 Shinano-machi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan., Department of Orthopedic Surgery, 35 Shinano-machi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan., Department of Orthopedic Surgery, 35 Shinano-machi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan., Department of Orthopedic Surgery, 35 Shinano-machi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan., Department of Orthopedic Surgery, 35 Shinano-machi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan., Department of Orthopedic Surgery, 35 Shinano-machi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan., Department of Orthopedic Surgery, 35 Shinano-machi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan., Department of Orthopedic Surgery, 35 Shinano-machi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan.