α-ketoglutaric acid and bone tissue metabolism

Despite of a wide choice of therapeutic agents, the treatment of metabolic diseases of bone tissue with antiresorptive drugs is difficult, mainly due to numerous contraindications, possible side effects, as wellas, in some cases,lack of efficiency. Experimental studies confirmed that the application of α-ketoglutaric acid (AKG) not only increases bone mineral density, but also improves mechanical resistance of bones, and leads to an increase in the amount of bone collagen. A positive effect of AKG on bone metabolism may also be the result of an increased production of selected regulatory peptides, such as IGF-1, or an improvement of bone homeostasis under the influence of neurohormonal agents, e.g. glutaminic acid. The study discusses biological importance of AKG and the in fluence of AKG on collagen synthesis and bone tissue metabolism. In addition, main clinical and experimental studies with the application of AKG are presented. (Clin Exp Med Lett 2007; 48(1):3-9)

Keywords: α-ketoglutarate, Collagen, Osteoporosis, prevention