Combination therapy in the Col1a2G610C mouse model of Osteogenesis Imperfecta reveals an additive effect of enhancing LRP5 signaling and inhibiting TGFβ signaling on trabecular bone but not on cortical bone.

Enhancing LRP5 signaling and inhibiting TGFβ signaling have each been reported to increase bone mass and improve bone strength in wild-type mice. Monotherapy targeting LRP5 signaling, or TGFβ signaling, also improved bone properties in mouse models of Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI). We investigated whether additive or synergistic increases in bone properties would be attained if enhanced LRP5 signaling was combined with TGFβ inhibition. We crossed an Lrp5 high bone mass (HBM) allele (Lrp5A214V) into the Col1a2G610C/+ mouse model of OI. At 6-weeks-of-age we began treating mice with an antibody that inhibits TGFβ1, β2, and β3 (mAb 1D11), or with an isotype-matched control antibody (mAb 13C4). At 12-weeks-old, we observed that combining enhanced LRP5 signaling with inhibited TGFβ signaling produced an additive effect on femoral and vertebral trabecular bone volumes, but not on cortical bone volumes. Although enhanced LRP5 signaling increased femur strength in a 3-point bending assay in Col1a2G610C/+ mice, femur strength did not improve further with TGFβ inhibition. Neither enhanced LRP5 signaling nor TGFβ inhibition, alone or in combination, improved femur 3-point-bending post-yield displacement in Col1a2G610C/+ mice. These pre-clinical studies indicate combination therapies that target LRP5 and TGFβ signaling should increase trabecular bone mass in patients with OI more than targeting either signaling pathway alone. Whether additive increases in trabecular bone mass will occur in, and clinically benefit, patients with OI needs to be determined.