Formyl peptide receptors in bone research

ABSTRACT

Purpose/Aim of the Study

The formyl peptide receptor (FPR) participates in the immune response, with roles in infection and inflammation. In this review article, we summarize the current literature on these roles before discussing the function of FPRs in the pathogenesis of musculoskeletal disorders including osteoarthritis (OA), degenerative disc disease (DDD), and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Additionally, we discuss the potential diagnostic and therapeutic roles of FPRs in these domains.

Methods

PubMed and Ovid MEDLINE searches were performed from 1965 through March 2022. Keywords included “FPR, tissue expression, inflammation, infection, musculoskeletal disorder, bone, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, degenerative disc disease, mitochondria.”

Results

Sixty-nine studies were included in this review article. FPRs appear to be ubiquitous in the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of common musculoskeletal disorders. They can potentially be utilized for the earlier diagnosis of OA and DDD. They may be employed with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to reverse OA and DDD pathologies. With anti-inflammatory, anti-osteolytic, and pro-angiogenic functions, they may broaden treatment options in RA.

Conclusions

FPRs appear to be heavily involved in the pathogenesis of common musculoskeletal conditions, including arthritis, degenerative disc disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. Furthermore, they demonstrate much promise in the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions. Their roles should continue to be explored.

KEYWORDS:

• Formyl peptide receptor
• infection
• inflammation
• musculoskeletal
• bone

Author contributions

MAL, JRPT, and QL: writing; AD and QC: design; XY: design and writing.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases under Grant 5R21AR070987; and the Seed Grant Program sponsored by the University of Virginia Center for Advanced Biomanufacturing under Grant LC00169.