Expression profile of osteoclasts treated with bisphosphonates

Bisphosphonates are the mainstay of therapy worldwide for osteoporosis. They inhibit the activities of the osteoclasts, the bone resorption cells. While bisphosphonates are known to block farnesyl pyrophsophate synthase to exert their anti-resorptive action, the detailed mechanism is not well understood. Examining the change in expression profile before and after bisphosphonate treatment in the osteoclasts might shed some light on the biological pathways that are perturbed. Osteoclastic precursor cells were treated with (or without) bisphosphonates (alendronate or risedronate) during their differentiation into mature osteoclasts.