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Bourne LE, Jayash SN, Michels LV, Hopkinson M, Guppy FM, Clarkin CE, Gard P, Brissett N, Staines KA. Sexually dimorphic effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on the murine skeleton. Biol Sex Differ 2024; 15:51. [PMID: 38890762 PMCID: PMC11186175 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-024-00626-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can result in lifelong disabilities known as foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and is associated with childhood growth deficiencies and increased bone fracture risk. However, the effects of PAE on the adult skeleton remain unclear and any potential sexual dimorphism is undetermined. Therefore, we utilised a murine model to examine sex differences with PAE on in vitro bone formation, and in the juvenile and adult skeleton. METHODS Pregnant C57BL/6J female mice received 5% ethanol in their drinking water during gestation. Primary calvarial osteoblasts were isolated from neonatal offspring and mineralised bone nodule formation and gene expression assessed. Skeletal phenotyping of 4- and 12-week-old male and female offspring was conducted by micro-computed tomography (µCT), 3-point bending, growth plate analyses, and histology. RESULTS Osteoblasts from male and female PAE mice displayed reduced bone formation, compared to control (≤ 30%). Vegfa, Vegfb, Bmp6, Tgfbr1, Flt1 and Ahsg were downregulated in PAE male osteoblasts only, whilst Ahsg was upregulated in PAE females. In 12-week-old mice, µCT analysis revealed a sex and exposure interaction across several trabecular bone parameters. PAE was detrimental to the trabecular compartment in male mice compared to control, yet PAE females were unaffected. Both male and female mice had significant reductions in cortical parameters with PAE. Whilst male mice were negatively affected along the tibial length, females were only distally affected. Posterior cortical porosity was increased in PAE females only. Mechanical testing revealed PAE males had significantly reduced bone stiffness compared to controls; maximum load and yield were reduced in both sexes. PAE had no effect on total body weight or tibial bone length in either sex. However, total growth plate width in male PAE mice compared to control was reduced, whilst female PAE mice were unaffected. 4-week-old mice did not display the altered skeletal phenotype with PAE observed in 12-week-old animals. CONCLUSIONS Evidence herein suggests, for the first time, that PAE exerts divergent sex effects on the skeleton, possibly influenced by underlying sex-specific transcriptional mechanisms of osteoblasts. Establishing these sex differences will support future policies and clinical management of FASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie E Bourne
- School of Applied Sciences, Centre for Lifelong Health, University of Brighton, Lewes Road, Brighton, BN2 4GT, UK
| | - Soher N Jayash
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Lysanne V Michels
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Mark Hopkinson
- Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, London, NW1 0TU, UK
| | - Fergus M Guppy
- Institute of Life and Earth Sciences, School of Energy, Geosciences, Infrastructure and Society, Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, UK
| | - Claire E Clarkin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Paul Gard
- School of Applied Sciences, Centre for Lifelong Health, University of Brighton, Lewes Road, Brighton, BN2 4GT, UK
| | - Nigel Brissett
- School of Applied Sciences, Centre for Lifelong Health, University of Brighton, Lewes Road, Brighton, BN2 4GT, UK
| | - Katherine A Staines
- School of Applied Sciences, Centre for Lifelong Health, University of Brighton, Lewes Road, Brighton, BN2 4GT, UK.
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Phung K, Crabtree N, Connolly AM, Furlong P, Hoffman EP, Jackowski SA, Jayash SN, Johnson A, Koujok K, Munns CF, Niks E, Rauch F, Schrader R, Turner C, Vroom E, Weber DR, Wong BL, Guglieri M, Ward LM, Wong SC. Moving Beyond the 2018 Minimum International Care Considerations for Osteoporosis Management in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD): Meeting Report from the 3rd International Muscle-Bone Interactions Meeting 7th and 14th November 2022. J Neuromuscul Dis 2024; 11:233-252. [PMID: 37980681 PMCID: PMC10789336 DOI: 10.3233/jnd-230176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kim Phung
- Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Nicola Crabtree
- Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Anne M. Connolly
- Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Pat Furlong
- Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Eric P. Hoffman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Binghamton University, State University of New York, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - Stefan A. Jackowski
- Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Soher Nagi Jayash
- Roslin institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | | | - Khaldoun Koujok
- Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Craig F. Munns
- Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Queensland Children’s Hospital, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Erik Niks
- Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Frank Rauch
- Shriners Hospital for Children, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Leanne M. Ward
- Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Sze Choong Wong
- Correspondence to: Dr. Sze Choong Wong, Department of Paediatric Endocrinology, Royal Hospital for Children, 1345 Govan Road, Glasgow G51 4TF United Kingdom. Tel.: +44 141 451 5841; E-mail:
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Vasterling ME, Maitski RJ, Davis BA, Barnes JE, Kelkar RA, Klapper RJ, Patel H, Ahmadzadeh S, Shekoohi S, Kaye AD, Varrassi G. AMONDYS 45 (Casimersen), a Novel Antisense Phosphorodiamidate Morpholino Oligomer: Clinical Considerations for Treatment in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Cureus 2023; 15:e51237. [PMID: 38283433 PMCID: PMC10821770 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.51237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024] Open
Abstract
AMONDYS 45 (casimersen) is an antisense oligonucleotide therapy used to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a rare genetic disorder characterized by a mutation in the DMD gene. Symptoms include progressive muscle weakness, respiratory and cardiac complications, and premature death. Casimersen targets a specific mutation in the DMD gene that results in the absence of dystrophin protein, a key structural component of muscle fibers. While there is currently no cure for DMD, exon-skipping therapy works by restoring the reading frame of the mutated gene, allowing the production of a partially functional dystrophin protein. Clinical trials of casimersen have shown promising results in increasing dystrophin production, as measured by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) droplets when compared to placebo. In a randomized double-blind trial, patients who received casimersen had significantly higher dystrophin levels when compared to those who received placebo. Casimersen therapy is administered through repeated intravenous infusions, although the optimal dosage and duration of treatment are still under investigation. Based on the completed and ongoing clinical trials, casimersen has been well tolerated, with most adverse events being mild and unrelated to casimersen. In 2021, AMONDYS 45 (casimersen) received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of Duchene muscular dystrophy in patients with a mutation of the DMD gene that is amenable to exon 45 skipping. These collective findings indicate that casimersen has the potential to elicit functional changes in individuals with DMD, although further studies are necessary to comprehensively evaluate the specific functional improvements. Regardless, the FDA approval and ongoing clinic trials mark a significant milestone in the development of DMD treatments and offer hope for those affected by this debilitating disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan E Vasterling
- School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, USA
| | - Rebecca J Maitski
- School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, USA
| | - Brice A Davis
- School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, USA
| | - Julie E Barnes
- School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, USA
| | - Rucha A Kelkar
- School of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, USA
| | - Rachel J Klapper
- Radiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, USA
| | - Hirni Patel
- Anesthesiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, USA
| | - Shahab Ahmadzadeh
- Anesthesiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, USA
| | - Sahar Shekoohi
- Anesthesiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, USA
| | - Alan D Kaye
- Anesthesiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, USA
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Grounds MD, Lloyd EM. Considering the Promise of Vamorolone for Treating Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. J Neuromuscul Dis 2023; 10:1013-1030. [PMID: 37927274 PMCID: PMC10657680 DOI: 10.3233/jnd-230161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
This commentary provides an independent consideration of data related to the drug vamorolone (VBP15) as an alternative steroid proposed for treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Glucocorticoids such as prednisone and deflazacort have powerful anti-inflammatory benefits and are the standard of care for DMD, but their long-term use can result in severe adverse side effects; thus, vamorolone was designed as a unique dissociative steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, to retain efficacy and minimise these adverse effects. Extensive clinical trials (ongoing) have investigated the use of vamorolone for DMD, with two trials also for limb-girdle muscular dystrophies including dysferlinopathy (current), plus a variety of pre-clinical trials published. Vamorolone looks very promising, with similar efficacy and some reduced adverse effects (e.g., related to height) compared with other glucocorticoids, specifically prednisone/prednisolone, although it has not yet been directly compared with deflazacort. Of particular interest to clarify is the optimal clinical dose and other aspects of vamorolone that are proposed to provide additional benefits for membranes of dystrophic muscle: to stabilise and protect the sarcolemma from damage and enhance repair. The use of vamorolone (and other glucocorticoids) needs to be evaluated in terms of overall long-term efficacy and cost, and also in comparison with many candidate non-steroidal drugs with anti-inflammatory and other benefits for DMD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miranda D. Grounds
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology, School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Erin M. Lloyd
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology, School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
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