Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Bone Cells and Tissue

Bone Cells and Tissue

Bones contain a relatively small number of cells entrenched in a matrix of organic and inorganic components. Although bone cells compose only a small amount of the bone volume, they are crucial to its function. Four types of cells are found within the bone tissue— osteoblasts, osteocytes, osteogenic cells, and osteoclasts.
Osteoblasts and Osteocytes
The osteoblast is the bone cell responsible for forming new bone tissue. It is found in the growing portions of bone, including the periosteum and...

Hormones and Bone Tissue

Hormones and Bone Tissue

The endocrine system produces and secretes hormones, which interact with the skeletal system. These hormones control bone growth, maintain bone once it is formed, and remodel it.
Hormones That Influence Osteoblasts and/or Maintain the Matrix
Several hormones are necessary for controlling bone growth and maintaining the bone matrix. The pituitary gland secretes growth hormone (GH), which, as its name implies, controls bone growth. This happens in several ways: first, it triggers chondrocyte...

Osteoclasts in Bone Remodeling

Osteoclasts in Bone Remodeling

Osteoclasts are cells responsible for bone resorption and remodeling. They originate from hematopoietic progenitor cells present in the bone marrow. Numerous progenitor cells fuse to form multinucleated cells, each with 10-20 nuclei. A single osteoclast has a diameter of 150 to 200 µM. These cells have ruffled borders that break down the underlying bone tissue and release minerals such as calcium into the blood in bone resorption. Osteoclasts cling to bones with their ruffled edges during bone...

Bone Remodeling

Bone Remodeling

Bone remodeling is a continuous and balanced process of bone resorption by osteoclasts and bone formation by osteoblasts. In adults, it helps maintain bone mass and calcium homeostasis. While mechanical stress can stimulate turnover as part of the normal maintenance and reparative process, several hormones also regulate bone remodeling.

Bone Formation by Endochondral Ossification

Bone Formation by Endochondral Ossification

Bone formation, or ossification, begins around the sixth to seventh week of embryonic development. Most bones develop from a cartilaginous template through the process of endochondral ossification. Cartilage formation begins when clusters of mesenchymal cells differentiate into chondrocytes. These chondrocytes proliferate rapidly and secrete an extracellular matrix that becomes encased in a membrane called the perichondrium. The resulting cartilage model provides a template that resembles the...

The Bone Matrix

The Bone Matrix

Bone contains a relatively small number of cells entrenched in a matrix of collagen fibers that provide an adherent surface for inorganic salt crystals. Both components of the matrix, organic and inorganic, contribute to the unusual properties of bone. Without collagen, bones would be brittle and shatter easily. Without mineral crystals, bones would flex and provide little support. This can be observed by an experiment: when the minerals of a bone are dissolved by soaking the bone in acid or...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Bone-derived bioactive substrates promote axonal sprouting but elicit astrocyte reactivity: Implications for CNS-repair scaffold design.

Journal of applied biomaterials & functional materials·2026

Same author

British Society of Sexual Medicine: Position Statement for the Potential Use of Enclomiphene in the Treatment of Male Hypogonadism.

The world journal of men's health·2026

Same author

Fine-tuning foundational models to code diagnoses from veterinary health records.

PLOS digital health·2026

Same author

Transfer learning models for bacterial strain dissemination biomarkers using weighted non-parallel proximal support vector machines.

BMC bioinformatics·2026

Same author

Testosterone Replacement Therapy in Hypogonadal Men with a Prostate Cancer Diagnosis: A British Society for Sexual Medicine Consensus Statement.

The world journal of men's health·2025

Same author

Collaborative Cross mice have diverse phenotypic responses to infection with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus USA300.

PLoS genetics·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Isolation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Human Alveolar Periosteum and Effects of Vitamin D on Osteogenic Activity of Periosteum-derived Cells

Isolation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Human Alveolar Periosteum and Effects of Vitamin D on Osteogenic Activity of Periosteum-derived Cells

Published on: May 4, 2018

Primary cortical brain cells influence osteoblast activity.

Lucas Anissian¹, Michael Kirby, André Stark

¹Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, LA, USA.

Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications

|September 16, 2009

Summary

This study reveals that osteoblast cells undergo significant changes when co-cultured with brain cells. These bone cells show increased alkaline phosphatase activity and develop hypertrophic features, suggesting nervous system influence on bone metabolism.

More Related Videos

Application of Retinoic Acid to Obtain Osteocytes Cultures from Primary Mouse Osteoblasts

Application of Retinoic Acid to Obtain Osteocytes Cultures from Primary Mouse Osteoblasts

Published on: May 13, 2014

Differentiation and Characterization of Osteoclasts from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Differentiation and Characterization of Osteoclasts from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Published on: March 22, 2024

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Isolation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Human Alveolar Periosteum and Effects of Vitamin D on Osteogenic Activity of Periosteum-derived Cells

Isolation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Human Alveolar Periosteum and Effects of Vitamin D on Osteogenic Activity of Periosteum-derived Cells

Published on: May 4, 2018

Application of Retinoic Acid to Obtain Osteocytes Cultures from Primary Mouse Osteoblasts

Application of Retinoic Acid to Obtain Osteocytes Cultures from Primary Mouse Osteoblasts

Published on: May 13, 2014

Differentiation and Characterization of Osteoclasts from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Differentiation and Characterization of Osteoclasts from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Published on: March 22, 2024

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Bone Biology
Cellular Interactions

Background:

Neuropeptides and neuroreceptors are present in bone tissue.
The nervous system is implicated in regulating bone turnover.
The precise mechanisms of neuro-osseous communication remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the impact of cortical brain cells on osteoblast behavior.
To explore potential neural regulation of bone cells.

Main Methods:

Co-culture of primary osteoblast cells with primary fetal cortical brain cells.
Incubation period of seven days.
Assessment of osteoblast morphology and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity.

Main Results:

Osteoblast cells displayed hypertrophic morphological changes after co-culture.
A significant increase in alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was observed in osteoblasts.
These changes suggest a direct influence of brain cells on osteoblast function.

Conclusions:

Co-culturing with cortical brain cells induces significant changes in osteoblast cells.
Enhanced ALP activity and morphological alterations indicate a functional response of osteoblasts to neural environment.
This study provides evidence for a direct interaction between neural and bone cells, impacting bone metabolism.