CHINESE researchers proposed a new approach to regulate human hormone release to prevent anxiety and bone loss, showed a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature Communications.

The parathyroid hormone (PTH), secreted by human’s parathyroid cells, plays an important role in bone metabolism and an excess of it could lead to excessive calcium in the blood, emotional abnormalities and bone loss.

A research team led by Yang Fan from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences used a biological technique to control cell activities via light to successfully inhibit the PTH secretion in both cell culture and in animal models.

Yang’s team found that the light-induced regulation could induce cell membrane potential changes and intracellular calcium responses so as to inhibit PTH secretion.

The researchers also developed an automatic light-regulation system that is responsive to calcium, in which the calcium electrode is used to sense changes in extracellular calcium concentration.

The automatic system can help parathyroid cells automatically respond to changes in extracellular calcium concentration so as to regulate the hormone, according to the study.

The findings provide a clue for effectively intervening in the abnormal secretion of PTH to alleviate symptoms of anxiety and bone loss. (Xinhua)