Regulation of bone mass by serotonin: molecular biology and therapeutic implications.

Annu Rev Med · 2011

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

The molecular elucidation of two human skeletal dysplasias revealed that they are caused by an increase or a decrease in the synthesis of serotonin by enterochromaffin cells of the gut. This observation revealed a novel and powerful endocrine means to regulate bone mass. Exploiting these findings in the pharmacological arena led to the demonstration that inhibiting synthesis of gut-derived serotonin could be an effective means to treat low-bone-mass diseases such as osteoporosis.