Dickkopf-1 may play a key regulatory role in determining the outcome for bone in inflammatory environments, and modulating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway via Dickkopf-1 inhibitor or recombinant protein may provide a potential therapeutic option to prevent bone destruction in endodontic disease.
Furthermore, tumor-derived secretion of the cWnt-antagonist Dickkopf-1 (Dkk-1) is known to cause bone destruction, inhibition of repair and metastasis in many bone malignancies, but its role in osteosarcoma (OS) is still under debate.