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New paradigm challenges experts to consider bone as an endocrine organ
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PHILADELPHIA — Data from multiple studies suggest that bone is an endocrine organ that — from a distance, in the bone compartment — secretes blood-borne proteins that affect the function of other organs in the body. According to Clifford Rosen, MD, this concept could lead to a more detailed explanation on the connection between obesity, diabetes and osteoporosis.
“Today I wanted to introduce a new paradigm that the skeleton is integrated in a very global way with everything else we do,” Rosen, who is director of clinical and translational research at Main Medical Center, said during a press conference. “We need to move away from the bone-centric idea that the skeleton is just there to keep the protoplasm upright and think about it in different ways.”
Clifford Rosen
The obesity epidemic has uncovered new discoveries in how fat cells work, Rosen said, and evidence that fat cells have several functions relative to the skeleton, some of which may be helpful in some situations, but detrimental in other circumstances.
“Newer concepts in treating obesity include turning white fat into brown fat or brown-like,” he explained. “Brown fat generation has been a target of newer approaches of treating obesity. Those agents may have a negative effect on the skeleton.” It is important to understand and appreciate how the skeleton works relative to all other tissues, he said.
According to studies conducted by Rosen and others, bone has many endocrine roles, including the production of proteins to modulate testosterone release from the testes, which suggests that bone may play a role in reproductive biology.
Future research between stem cells and bone cells is planned, Rosen said.
“Bone cells in the skeleton help regulate phosphate homeostasis, and proteins produced by skeletal cells can affect the pancreatic secretion of insulin. Bones are actually secreting hormones that can influence many other tissues,” he said.
While it is believed that both stem and bone cells are created from the same ancestral cells, the determinant for whether a stem cell becomes a bone or blood cell precursor remains unknown. According to Rosen, future research into bone and stem cell growth could uncover strategies for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, as well as other bone-related diseases and disorders.
“My goal is to make the skeleton something that we think about, not only in osteoporosis, but also in other disorders,” he said. – by Stacey L. Fisher
For more information:
- Rosen C. Bone as an endocrine organ. Presented at: the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists 21st Annual Scientific and Clinical Congress Meeting; May 23-27, 2012; Philadelphia.