FSH-blocking antibody could treat osteoporosis, obesity

Researchers at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and other institutions showed that an antibody that blocks follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) increased bone mass and decreased body fat in a mouse model of menopause. The paper suggested that the mechanism could be used to treat postmenopausal osteoporosis and obesity simultaneously.

In a paper published in Nature, the group showed a polyclonal antibody against a fragment of FSH, which blocks the interaction of the hormone with its receptor, increased thermogenesis and decreased adiposity in a mouse model of ovariectomy-induced menopause. The FSH-blocking antibody also decreased obesity in normal mice fed a high-fat diet. The researchers had previously showed a FSH-blocking antibody increased bone mass in mice with ovariectomy-induced bone loss...