The effect of imidazole and imidazole-analogues on bone resorption in vitro: A suggested role for thromboxane A2

The effects of imidazole, 1-methyl-imidazole and benzimidazole on bone metabolism $\text{in vitro}$ were investigated. The relative potencies of these compounds with respect to the inhibition of bone resorption was found to be comparable to their relative effectiveness as inhibitors of platelet microsome thromboxane synthetase activity. Since studies by others have shown that thromboxanes are produced by resorbing bone $\text{in vitro}$, these results suggest that the inhibition of bone resorption by imidazole is related to the inhibition of thromboxane A₂ formation. This could imply that thromboxane A₂ is an additional arachidonic acid oxidation product that is of importance in the regulation of bone metabolism.