Endocrine Abstracts

Human studies have suggested that local glucocorticoid (GC) generation within osteoblasts plays a critical role in bone loss seen during aging, in response to inflammation and treatment with GCs. Human osteoblasts express the enzyme 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) that converts inactive GCs (cortisone, dehydrocorticosterone, prednisone) to their active counterparts (cortisol, corticosterone, prednisolone). Enzyme expression increases with age, in r...

When used to treat inflammatory disease therapeutic glucocorticoids (GCs) cause rapid bone loss. However clinical studies suggest that in patients without inflammation GCs have little impact on the skeleton. The mechanism by which inflammation magnifies the effects of GCs is unknown. We have proposed that intracellular GC generation (inactive cortisone/prednisone to active cortisol/prednisolone conversion) via the 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11b-HSD1) enzyme d...