Abstract
Over the past 30 years, bisphosphonates (BPs) have been used for prevention and treatment of bone diseases characterized by bone fragility, such as osteoporosis. Recently, an increased risk of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) has been identified in patients with longterm BP administration, and no effective therapy has been established for this severe and extremely refractory progressive condition. We constructed a mouse model of BRONJ-like disease that manifests the major clinical and radiographic findings of the disease seen in humans, including characteristic features of delayed healing displayed orally as an open alveolar socket, exposed necrotic bone, increased inflammatory infiltrates, and radiopaque alveolar bone in the jaw. The present findings show that an alteration in the balance between Treg/Th17 allows development of BRONJ.
