Lactoferrin is a well-known estrogen target gene and a biologically active molecule for bone regeneration [ 72].
Bone destruction is controlled by the complex interplay between three molecules essential for bone biology: a receptor (receptor activator of NF-κB (RANK)), a ligand (receptor activator of the NF-κB ligand (RANKL)) and a soluble decoy receptor (osteoprotegerin (OPG)) [ 2].
This suggests that miR-194 and COUP-TFII may be good target molecules for controlling bone and metabolic diseases.
Thus, our microarray results, that COX-2 expression is only upregulated in osteolytic PC-3 cells and not in osteoblastic MDA-PCa 2b cells, is consistent with the evidence that COX-2 and PGE2 are key molecules for osteolytic bone metastasis.
We next evaluated the expression of RANKL, a molecule characteristic for bone resorption and of BMP2, TGF-α3, pSMAD-2 and DKK-1, molecules indicative for bone repair and remodeling.
Recently, we reported that 6,4′-dihydroxy-7-methoxyflavanone and 9-hydroxy-6,7-dimethoxydalbergiquinol isolated from D. odorifera inhibit osteoclast differentiation and their function, suggesting a potential therapeutic molecule for osteoclastogenic bone diseases.
To date, several cell lines of evidence have shown that, among various integrins, osteoclasts express very high levels of integrin αVβ3 and it is now well accepted that this integrin is a central molecule for osteoclastic bone resorption [ 23].
Emerging therapeutic options that target molecules of bone metabolism indicate that the next decade should offer even greater promise for further improving our diagnostic and treatment approaches.
However, chitosan lacks sufficient mechanical strength, cell binding ability, rapid degradation and lacking of bioactive cell signaling molecules which are vital for bone tissue regeneration [15].
