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World J Exp Med. Sep 20, 2026; 16(3): 120531
Published online Sep 20, 2026. doi: 10.5493/wjem.120531
Published online Sep 20, 2026. doi: 10.5493/wjem.120531
Osteoprotegerin and receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand as biomarkers for bone resorption-related disorders
Tapesh Lalotra, Department of Orthopedics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Nagpur 441108, Maharashtra, India
Arunagiri Gunasekar, Department of Orthopaedics, Government Medical College and Hospital, Thiruvallur 602001, Tamil Nadu, India
Naveen Jeyaraman, Madhan Jeyaraman, Department of Orthopaedics, ACS Medical College and Hospital, Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute, Chennai 600077, Tamil Nadu, India
Naveen Jeyaraman, Arulkumar Nallakumarasamy, Sathish Muthu, Madhan Jeyaraman, Depart
Naveen Jeyaraman, Sathish Muthu, Madhan Jeyaraman, Department of Orthopaedics, Ortho
Arulkumar Nallakumarasamy, Department of Orthopaedics, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Karaikal 609602, Puducherry, India
Sathish Muthu, Central Research Laboratory, Meenakshi Medical College Hospital and Re
Viji Devanand, Department of Physiology, Sree Balaji Medical College and Hospital, Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai 600044, Tamil Nadu, India
Author contributions: Jeyaraman N and Jeyaraman M designed the research; Lalotra T, Gunasekar A, Jeyaraman N, Nallakumarasamy A, and Devanand V analyzed the articles for performing review and wrote the manuscript; Muthu S and Jeyaraman M finalized the manuscript. All authors approved final revision of the paper.
AI contribution statement: Language correction was performed with Grammarly.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Madhan Jeyaraman, MD, PhD, Researcher, Department of Orthopaedics, ACS Medical College and Hospital, Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute, Velap
Received: March 1, 2026
Revised: April 9, 2026
Accepted: June 4, 2026
Published online: September 20, 2026
Processing time: 203 Days and 13.9 Hours
Revised: April 9, 2026
Accepted: June 4, 2026
Published online: September 20, 2026
Processing time: 203 Days and 13.9 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: The receptor activator of NF-kappaB/receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand (RANKL)/osteoprotegerin (OPG) pathway is a pivotal bone remodeling pathway, and its disruption is responsible for osteoclast-driven bone resorption in osteoporosis, arthritis and bone-related cancer. Plasma RANKL and OPG, and their ratio, may be more sensitive indicators for diagnosis, fracture prediction and therapy assessment. While assays are variable, there is evidence that the RANKL/OPG ratio could be a better predictor than either marker alone, with potential to improve diagnosis, treatment and outcomes in bone resorption disease.