Potential anti-catabolic and anabolic properties of strontium ranelate.

Osteoporosis is a major public health problem for adults above 55 years of age, which leads to an increase in bone fragility. Last decade has witnessed remarkable advances in molecular biology and genetics that led to detailed understanding of the bone remodeling cycle and new therapeutic targets for its treatment have emerged. Thus, besides classical approach (vitamin D and calcium administration, bisphosphonates, oestrogen, raloxifene), new therapeutic agents such as parathyroid hormone (PTH) compounds, anti-RANKL antibodies and strontium ranelate are or will be increasingly used in the treatment of osteoporosis. In this review, we have presented the importance and therapeutic potential of strontium ranelate as a dual agent in the current treatment of osteoporosis.