MOSCOW, July 30. The basis of a new pharmacological compound for bone tissue restoration and strengthening was developed by scientists from Belgorod State University. According to them, the basic component of the drug has a higher bioavailability compared to existing analogues, which will increase the effectiveness of osteoporosis treatment and reduce the number of side effects. The results are patented and presented in a number of scientific publications. Osteoporosis is a metabolic disease that leads to a decrease in bone mass, which makes the skeleton more fragile. Osteoporosis can be caused by various factors: from calcium deficiency to long-term use of hormonal drugs. However, according to statistics, older people are most susceptible to osteoporosis, said specialists from Belgorod State University (BelSU).
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"With the growing percentage of the aging population, osteoporosis is becoming a global problem. According to various estimates, by 2050, half of the fractures will occur due to this disease," said one of the authors of the study, Associate Professor of the Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology of the Medical Institute, Head of the Laboratory of Preclinical Research of the Research Institute of Pharmacology of Living Systems of BelSU Oleg Gudyrev.
Currently, there are a large number of classes of drugs for osteoporosis, the vast majority of which do not show sufficient effectiveness, but give many side effects, the specialist emphasized. Therefore, there is a need to create new drugs to strengthen the body's bone tissue.
A team of Belgorod State University scientists has studied a new supramolecular complex for strengthening and mineralizing bone tissue, developed under the supervision of Professor Sofia Skachilova, based on acexamic acid, which is used for wound healing. However, in its «pure» form it is poorly absorbed by the body, so salts and complexes based on it are used as medicines.
«We studied a new acexamic acid complex synthesized by our colleagues, which is absorbed by bone tissue at least 7 times more effectively than compounds with a similar structure. It also accumulates better: the maximum concentration in bones is 40 times higher,» Gudyrev explained.
He added that after conducting additional experiments, the researchers plan to begin developing an oral drug for osteoporosis.
The study was conducted with the support of a grant from the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia for the federal project «Popularization of Science and Technology».