Over the past several years, there has been an increasing interest in the
biology of bone repair and potential technologies for enhancing
fracture-healing. Part of this interest is derived from the growing age of the
population and the recognition that increased age carries an increased risk of
complications after fracture. Although use of locally implanted or injected
growth factors has received the most attention, systemic treatments for the
enhancement of bone repair, especially for situations in which bone repair may
be diminished or delayed, are now under investigation. Since the approval of
parathyroid hormone (PTH) as an anabolic treatment for osteoporosis, there has
been an increasing interest in other potential clinical uses for this compound
in musculoskeletal conditions. It is now widely recognized that PTH
administration is an effective therapy to increase bone mineral density and
prevent fractures in patients with osteoporosis. More recently, a growing body
of evidence has supported the conclusion that PTH will also be an effective
anabolic therapy for the enhancement of bone repair after fracture. This
review focuses on the recent research demonstrating the potential of PTH in
the management of bone repair in a number of fracture models and also
highlights the ongoing studies into the mechanisms of PTH actions on
endochondral bone repair.