Macrophage migration inhibitory factor‐deficient mice are resistant to ovariectomy‐induced bone loss

Abstract
A link between macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and estrogen has recently emerged. We examined the involvement of MIF in osteoporotic changes in bone after ovariectomy (OVX), and revealed that MIF‐deficient mice (MIF‐KO) were completely protected from this phenomenon. The increase in osteoclast number per bone surface and serum IL‐1β levels, which were observed in wild‐type mice after OVX, did not occur in MIF KO. Our data suggest that MIF plays an important role in the pathogenesis of postmenopausal osteoporosis, and could be a novel target for the treatment of this disease.