Osteoprotegerin (OPG) Mouse/Rat ELISA

Osteoprotegerin (OPG) or Osteoclastogenesis inhibitory factor (OCIF) is
a dimeric glycoprotein of the TNF receptor family with a molecular weight of
60 kD resp. 120 kD which shows an inhibitory effect on osteoclasts and
osteoclast precursor cells.
Osteoprotegerin is a soluble”decoy”-receptor and is produced in different
tissues, e.g. bone, skin, liver, stomach, intestine and lung. As a so-called
“decoy receptor” OPG inhibits the binding of RANK to RANKL (OPG-L,
osteoclast differentation factor, ODF) and thus inhibits the recruitment,
proliferation and activation of osteoclasts.
OPG shows an inhibitory effect on osteoclasts. Osteoclast formation activity
may be determined principally by the relative concentration of OPGL/osteoclast
differentiation factor (ODF) to OPG/OCIF in the bone marrow
microenviroment. Alterations of this ratio may be the major cause of bone
loss in many imbalances in bone metabolism such as osteoporosis,
osteopetrosis, metastatic osteolytic lesions and rheumatic bone
degradation.