Circulating osteogenic precursor (COP) cells are peripheral blood cells with a capacity for osteogenesis. The objective of our study was to ascertain the percentage of COPs as an early biomarker of osteoporosis and the effect of these cells in response to Denosumab (DmAb) (anti-resorptive) or to Teriparatide (TPDP) (anabolic) as very effective drugs in the treatment of the illness. A first study was conducted on healthy volunteers, with three age ranges, to determine the percentage of COPs and relate it to their anthropometric and biochemical characteristics, followed by a second longitudinal study on patients with osteoporosis, whereby one group of patients was treated with TPTD and another with DmAb. All were analyzed by cytometry for COP percentage in blood, bone turnover markers, and bone mass. Our findings show that COPs are influenced by age and become more prolific in the stages of growth and skeletal maturation. A higher percentage of COPs is found in osteoporotic disease, which could constitute a predictive marker thereof. We also show how treatment with TPTD or DmAb mobilizes circulating osteogenic precursors in the blood. Significant increases in % COPs were observed after 12 months of treatment with Dmb (21.9%) and TPTD (17%). These results can be related to an increase in osteogenesis and, consequently, a better and more efficient repair of bone tissue.
Keywords: Denosumab; Teriparatide; circulating osteogenic progenitor cells; metabolic bone disorders; osteoporosis.