Potential of calcitonin as a novel cotreatment for arthritis.

After its discovery in the middle of the last century, calcitonin was quickly recognized as an extremely powerful inhibitor of osteoclast activity. Such a potent action prompted its use in Paget's disease, and determined its status as an elective anti-osteoporotic therapeutic. Over the years, however, its use has steadily declined, often because of costs and tachyphylaxis in calcitonin-induced responses, paralleled by the emergence of (cheaper) biphosphonates that now have wide diffusion and application. Modern technologies enable cheaper production costs for calcitonin; in addition, prednisolone and other glucocorticoids might impede the instauration of tachyphylaxis, such that calcitonin would retain its therapeutic efficacy. Therefore, prompted by recent experimental data generated with a model of rheumatoid arthritis, where calcitonin displayed synergistic effect when given as a cotreatment with prednisolone, as well as by clinical data showing efficacy of this hormone in osteoarthritis, we here propose a revamped use for calcitonin, as a cotreatment for different forms of arthritides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]