Prevention of Glucocorticoid Induced Impairment of Bone Metabolism

Summary

Glucocorticoid (GC) therapy is used to treat a variety of inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, bronchial asthma, allergies, ankylosing spondylitis and some forms of cancers. Despite the well-known side-effects, GC treatment is widely used. Oral GC therapy leads to a rapid and profound effects on bone metabolism, with increased osteoblast apoptosis and prolonged osteoclast survival, which increases bone resorption, resulting in bone loss, and a subsequent increased fracture risk. Within days of high dose oral GC, glucose tolerance decreases and bone turnover is shifted in favour of less bone formation and increased bone resorption. Bone formation and bone resorption can be estimated by measuring serum bone turnover markers. The gut microbiota is involved in regulating bone metabolism and recently it was demonstrated that Lactobacillus reuteri 6475 (LR) could reduce bone loss over 12 months by half in older women. In a recent experimental study, it was discovered that mice treated either with broad spectrum antibiotics, eradicating gut microbiota, or with LR did not experience GC induced bone loss in the spine and femur. L. reuteri has been widely studied in clinical trials and has been shown to have probiotic, health-promoting effects in both adults and children. The aim of this planned randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial is to investigate if daily supplementation with LR, compared to placebo, can prevent the negative effects of oral glucocorticoid (GC) on bone turnover and on blood glucose regulation in healthy young adult men and women. If LR is able to prevent deleterious side effects, such as bone loss and impaired glucose tolerance, of oral GC treatment, the probiotic could potentially be recommended and used to improve health in a substantial yearly number of patients treated with GC.

Timeline

Start

2022-05-16

Primary completion

2022-12-15

Completion

2022-12-15

Publications

• Background Nilsson AG, Sundh D, Backhed F, Lorentzon M. Lactobacillus reuteri reduces bone loss in older women with low bone mineral density: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, clinical trial. J Intern Med. 2018 Sep;284(3):307-317. doi: 10.1111/joim.12805. Epub 2018 Jul 22.
• Gregori G, Johansson L, Silberberg L, Imberg H, Magnusson P, Lind M, Lorentzon M. Prevention of glucocorticoid-induced impairment of bone metabolism-a randomized, placebo-controlled, single centre proof-of-concept clinical trial. JBMR Plus. 2025 Feb 17;9(4):ziaf031. doi: 10.1093/jbmrpl/ziaf031. eCollection 2025 Apr.

Drugs

Indications