Osteoimmunology at the nexus of arthritis, osteoporosis, cancer, and infection

J Clin Invest. 2011 Jul;121(7):2534-42. doi: 10.1172/JCI46262. Epub 2011 Jul 1.

Abstract

Over the past decade and a half, the biomedical community has uncovered a previously unappreciated reciprocal relationship between cells of the immune and skeletal systems. Work in this field, which has been termed "osteoimmunology," has resulted in the development of clinical therapeutics for seemingly disparate diseases linked by the common themes of inflammation and bone remodeling. Here, the important concepts and discoveries in osteoimmunology are discussed in the context of the diseases bridging these two organ systems, including arthritis, osteoporosis, cancer, and infection, and the targeted treatments used by clinicians to combat them.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Arthritis / drug therapy
  • Arthritis / immunology*
  • Humans
  • Immune System / immunology
  • Infections / immunology*
  • Interleukin-17 / immunology
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Neoplasms / immunology*
  • Osteoblasts / immunology
  • Osteoclasts / immunology
  • Osteoporosis / drug therapy
  • Osteoporosis / immunology*
  • RANK Ligand / immunology

Substances

  • Interleukin-17
  • RANK Ligand