Pharmacogenetic and microRNA mechanisms of beta blocker use on bone.

Motivated by studies showing an association between beta blocker (BB) use and positive bone outcomes, a pilot randomized control trial (RCT) was performed at the Mayo Clinic which randomized postmenopausal women to placebo, propranolol (40 or 80 mg twice daily), atenolol (50 mg/day), or nebivolol (5 mg/day) to determine changes in bone turnover markers (BTMs) and in bone mineral density (BMD) over 20 weeks. Pharmacogenetic effects and microRNA-mediated mechanisms involving beta adrenergic receptor and related genes have previously been found. We sought to validate these effects and discover new candidates in an ancillary study to the pilot clinical trial.