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Review
. 2016;62(2):128-37.
doi: 10.1159/000431091. Epub 2015 Jun 17.

Immunology of Osteoporosis: A Mini-Review

Peter Pietschmann  1 , Diana Mechtcheriakova, Anastasia Meshcheryakova, Ursula Föger-Samwald, Isabella Ellinger
Affiliations
Review

Immunology of Osteoporosis: A Mini-Review

Peter Pietschmann et al. Gerontology. 2016.

Abstract

Osteoporosis is a major cause of fractures and associated morbidity in the aged population. The pathogenesis of osteoporosis is multifactorial; whereas traditional pathophysiological concepts emphasize endocrine mechanisms, it has been recognized that also components of the immune system have a significant impact on bone. Since 2000, when the term 'osteoimmunology' was coined, novel insights into the role of inflammatory cytokines by influencing the fine-tuned balance between bone resorption and bone formation have helped to explain the occurrence of osteoporosis in conjunction with chronic inflammatory reactions. Moreover, the phenomenon of a low-grade, chronic, systemic inflammatory state associated with aging has been defined as 'inflamm-aging' by Claudio Franceschi and has been linked to age-related diseases such as osteoporosis. Given the tight anatomical and physiological coexistence of B cells and the bone-forming units in the bone marrow, a role of B cells in osteoimmunological interactions has long been suspected. Recent findings of B cells as active regulators of the RANK/RANKL/OPG axis, of altered RANKL/OPG production by B cells in HIV-associated bone loss or of a modulated expression of genes linked to B-cell biology in response to estrogen deficiency support this assumption. Furthermore, oxidative stress and the generation of advanced glycation end products have emerged as links between inflammation and bone destruction.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
AID is expressed within GCs. Tonsil tissue specifically stained for AID (brown) and counterstained with hematoxylin to visualize the nuclei (blue). Scale bar = 500 μm. Insert Enhanced view of GC structure. A dark zone (area with dominantly proliferating and mutating B cells), a light zone (area of B-cell selection) and a mantle zone (a compact outer rim of small lymphocytes) are clearly visible. CSR = Class switch recombination; FDC = follicular dendritic cell; SHM = somatic hypermutation; T FH = follicular helper T cell.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
A partly hypothetical model of the role of components of the immune system in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. ROS = Reactive oxygen species.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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