Study Links Aspirin with Bone Regeneration

Study Links Aspirin with Bone Regeneration

A recent study suggests that aspirin may play a role in bone regeneration, leading to improved treatments of bone conditions throughout the body—including the oral cavity. Songtao Shi, DDS, PhD, a professor at the University of Southern California Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry’s Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology in Los Angeles, and a team of researchers examined the effects of aspirin on a pair of cytokines (protein molecules that regulate interaction between cells). They found that the aspirin turned off the cytokines, which allowed bone to regrow.

The team first investigated bone regeneration with a mice-based study that applied bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells to scaffolding in experimental skull wounds. The experiment failed when cell death by apoptosis (self-destruction) occurred, which ultimately prevented the bone from regenerating. This prompted researchers to investigate the immune system’s role in the process. They discovered that two inflammatory factors, interferon gamma (IFN-g) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a), prevented the donor cells from regenerating bone. After identifying IFN-g and TNF-a as inhibiting factors, the group then focused on finding an obstructive agent. Eventually, they discovered that aspirin deactivated these cytokines. The study, which appeared in the November 2011 issue of Nature Medicine, was supported by a National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research grant.