Masayoshi Yamaguchit Pages 356 - 365 ( 10 )
It is known that zinc is essential for the growth of human and many animals. Bone has one of the highest zinc concentrations of all tissues. Bone growth retardation is a common finding in various conditions associated with zinc deficiency, seggesting a physiological role of zinc in the growth and calcification of bone tissue. Bone zinc content is decreased by development with aging, skeletal unloading and postmenopausal conditions. Thus zinc deficiency may play a pathophysiological role in the deterioration of bone metabolism. In fact, zinc has been demonstrated to have a stimulatory effect on bone formation and mineralization due to promoting bone cellular protein synthesis. AHZ is a new zinc compand, in which zinc is chelated to -alanyi-L histidine (L-carnosine). This compound can stimulate bone formation and mineralization in weanling and aged rats, and it has a direct anabolic effect in culture system of bone tissue and bone-forming cells (osteoblastic cells). The stimulatory effect of AHZ on bone formation was more intensive than that of zinc sulfate, showing that the mode of AHZ action differs from that of zinc sulfate. AHZ has a stimulating effect on proliferation and differentiation in osteoblastic cells due to a newly synthesized protein components. It is confirmed that bone-forming effect of AHZ is a greater than that of various bone-regulating hormones and other factors. The oral administration of AHZ has a fine restorative effect on osteopenia with various pathophysiological conditions. AHZ may be new drug in therapy of osteoporosis. Clinical studies are in progress.