Zaidi said TSH is already used in humans to treat thyroid disorders. "We might be able to use the same drug for different purposes, a much larger purpose than it has ever been employed for," he said.
Dr. Stephen Honig, director of the Osteoporosis Center at the Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York City, said the idea of treating the bone disease with TSH is intriguing. But, it's far from certain that the beneficial effects seen in rodents would apply to humans. And other problems related to the use of TSH would need to be solved, he said.
"This is a very interesting animal study that strongly suggests that thyroid stimulating hormone may have anti-reabsorption effects on bone," Honig said. However, he noted that TSH can cause hyperthyroidism -- an overactive thyroid gland -- that can unleash serious problems with the body's metabolism.
"One question for TSH will be how often will it induce hyperthyroidism and can dose adjustments minimize this without impacting its bone-strengthening effects," Honig said. "The [study] authors suggest that, so far, hyperthyroidism has not been a problem, at least in a group of postmenopausal women being treated with TSH for thyroid cancer."
More information
For more on osteoporosis, visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
