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Solving the mystery of how cigarette smoking weakens bones

Date:
July 26, 2012
Source:
American Chemical Society
Summary:
Almost 20 years after scientists first identified cigarette smoking as a risk factor for osteoporosis and bone fractures, a new study is shedding light on exactly how cigarette smoke weakens bones. The report concludes that cigarette smoke makes people produce excessive amounts of two proteins that trigger a natural body process that breaks down bone.
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Almost 20 years after scientists first identified cigarette smoking as a risk factor for osteoporosis and bone fractures, a new study is shedding light on exactly how cigarette smoke weakens bones. The report, in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research, concludes that cigarette smoke makes people produce excessive amounts of two proteins that trigger a natural body process that breaks down bone.

Gary Guishan Xiao and colleagues point out that previous studies suggested toxins in cigarette smoke weakened bones by affecting the activity of osteoblasts, cells which build new bone, and osteoclasts, which resorb, or break down, old bone. Weakening of the bones, known as osteoporosis, can increase the risk of fractures and is a major cause of disability among older people. To shed light on how cigarette smoking weakens bones, the scientists analyzed differences in genetic activity in bone marrow cells of smokers and non-smokers.

They discovered that human smokers produce unusually large amounts of two proteins that foster production of bone-resorbing osteoclasts compared to non-smokers. Experiments with laboratory mice confirmed the finding.

The authors acknowledge funding from the Cancer and Smoking Related Disease Research Program and the Nebraska Tobacco Settlement Biomedical Research Program.


Story Source:

Materials provided by American Chemical Society. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Danjun Ma, Yan Li, Bryan Hackfort, Yingchun Zhao, Jing Xiao, Patrick C. Swanson, Joan Lappe, Peng Xiao, Diane Cullen, Mohammed Akhter, Robert Recker, Gary Guishan Xiao. Smoke-Induced Signal Molecules in Bone Marrow Cells from Altered Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Related Protein 5 Mice. Journal of Proteome Research, 2012; 11 (7): 3548 DOI: 10.1021/pr2012158

Cite This Page:

American Chemical Society. "Solving the mystery of how cigarette smoking weakens bones." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 26 July 2012. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120726153951.htm>.
American Chemical Society. (2012, July 26). Solving the mystery of how cigarette smoking weakens bones. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 29, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120726153951.htm
American Chemical Society. "Solving the mystery of how cigarette smoking weakens bones." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120726153951.htm (accessed March 29, 2024).

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