Blood vessels can contribute to bone regeneration, says research

Research conducted at Unesp (Universidade Estadual Paulista) demonstrated that blood vessel cells directly influence the formation and maturation of bones. The interaction between vessels and bone formation is the most active found so far and may contribute to the improvement of treatments for diseases such as diabetes and osteoporosis.

One of the works, led by scientists from the Bioassays and Cell Dynamics Laboratory of the Botucatu Biosciences Institute, was published in the journal Cell Biochemistry and Function and indicates that the cells that internally line the vessels release signals that favor the maturation of bone cells. Therefore, these cells play an instructive role in formation and regeneration.

In an interview with Agência Fapesp, professor Willian Fernando Zambuzzi, coordinator of LaBio, explains that the studies propose an integrated view of bone formation, capable of altering the understanding of vessels only as support for "guide elements" of the tissue. "These results help to unravel why vascular changes, common in aging, diabetes and hypertension, often coexist with bone fragility", he explains.

The specialist also talks about the connection between the discovery and endocrine diseases, such as diabetes: during bone remodeling, proteins are released into the circulation and have a systemic effect, capable of altering the breakdown of glucose in the pancreas. "It is possible to better understand the cause of various pathologies and provide clues for the development of new biopharmaceuticals and therapeutic strategies aimed at diseases such as diabetes", explains Zambuzzi.

*With information from Agência Fapesp

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Source: CNN