Estrogen inhibits starvation-induced apoptosis in osteocytes by a redox-independent process involving association of JNK and glutathione S-transferase P1-1.

Estrogen deficiency causes bone loss as a result of microdamage, oxidative stress, and osteocyte apoptosis. A relationship between oxidative stress-induced apoptosis, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation, and expression of factors involved in bone remodeling has been demonstrated in osteocytes. However, the molecular regulation of these events in osteocytes treated with 17β-estradiol (17β-E2) remains unexplored.