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Vitamin B12 as a Regulator of Bone Health


Affiliations
1 Metabolic Research Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067, India
 

In the early 1920s, the anti-anaemic effect of liver-rich diet had been recognized. The anti-anaemic substance from the liver was isolated by 1950 and called ‘vitamin B12’ (hereafter B12). It took another 20 years to structurally define and chemically synthesize B12 in its pure form. Since then, it has been recognized that B12 modulates a variety of biological systems, from immune system to bone homeostasis. Recent clinical studies have shown that B12 deficiency is likely to be an important etiological factor in the pathogenesis of bone degeneration. In this regard, either observational studies that aimed to verify an association between low B12 level and bone mass, or clinical trials on the effect of B12 as a supplementary treatment in low bone mass patients have been presented in the emerging clinical literature. Recently, we created a mouse genetic model of B12 deficiency to elucidate its mode of action by genetic deletion of gastric intrinsic factor, a protein essential for the absorption of B12 from the gut. This has led to the identification of a novel gut–liver-bone axis that has the potential to be pharmacologically targeted for treating low bone mass diseases in humans. In this review, we revisit the history of B12 from its discovery in the early 20th century to the elucidation of its mode of action in the bone till date.

Keywords

Bone Formation, Endocrinology, Osteoblasts, Vitamin B12.
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  • Vitamin B12 as a Regulator of Bone Health

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Authors

Vijay K. Yadav
Metabolic Research Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067, India

Abstract


In the early 1920s, the anti-anaemic effect of liver-rich diet had been recognized. The anti-anaemic substance from the liver was isolated by 1950 and called ‘vitamin B12’ (hereafter B12). It took another 20 years to structurally define and chemically synthesize B12 in its pure form. Since then, it has been recognized that B12 modulates a variety of biological systems, from immune system to bone homeostasis. Recent clinical studies have shown that B12 deficiency is likely to be an important etiological factor in the pathogenesis of bone degeneration. In this regard, either observational studies that aimed to verify an association between low B12 level and bone mass, or clinical trials on the effect of B12 as a supplementary treatment in low bone mass patients have been presented in the emerging clinical literature. Recently, we created a mouse genetic model of B12 deficiency to elucidate its mode of action by genetic deletion of gastric intrinsic factor, a protein essential for the absorption of B12 from the gut. This has led to the identification of a novel gut–liver-bone axis that has the potential to be pharmacologically targeted for treating low bone mass diseases in humans. In this review, we revisit the history of B12 from its discovery in the early 20th century to the elucidation of its mode of action in the bone till date.

Keywords


Bone Formation, Endocrinology, Osteoblasts, Vitamin B12.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv114%2Fi08%2F1632-1638