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Bone Disorders

Bone Disorders

Aging and its effect on bone remodeling is the most common cause of bone disorders. In young and healthy people, bone deposition and resorption happen at an equal rate to maintain optimal bone health.
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...

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.

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...

Hormones and Bone Tissue

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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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 11, 2026

Trabecular Bone Microarchitecture Evaluation in an Osteoporosis Mouse Model

Trabecular Bone Microarchitecture Evaluation in an Osteoporosis Mouse Model

Published on: September 8, 2023

Physiology of bone loss.

Bart L Clarke¹, Sundeep Khosla

¹Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism, and Nutrition, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, 200 1st Street Southwest, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. Clarke.Bart@Mayo.edu

Radiologic Clinics of North America

|July 9, 2010

Summary

Bone loss in aging is primarily due to sex hormone deficiency in both women and men. Understanding these hormonal and other contributing factors is key to developing better osteoporosis treatments.

Area of Science:

Endocrinology
Gerontology
Bone Physiology

Background:

Bone loss is a significant health concern in aging populations.
Gonadal sex steroid deficiency is a primary driver of age-related bone loss.
Estrogen deficiency is critical in postmenopausal women and surprisingly also in aging men.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the physiological mechanisms underlying bone loss in aging.
To identify key factors contributing to osteoporosis in older adults.
To highlight the role of sex hormones and other systemic factors.

Main Methods:

Review of current physiological and endocrinological research on bone aging.
Analysis of hormonal influences, including estrogen, growth hormone, and insulin-like growth factor.

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Last Updated: Jun 11, 2026

Trabecular Bone Microarchitecture Evaluation in an Osteoporosis Mouse Model

Trabecular Bone Microarchitecture Evaluation in an Osteoporosis Mouse Model

Published on: September 8, 2023

Using Real-Time Cell Metabolic Flux Analyzer to Monitor Osteoblast Bioenergetics

Using Real-Time Cell Metabolic Flux Analyzer to Monitor Osteoblast Bioenergetics

Published on: March 1, 2022

Consideration of cellular (osteoblasts) and systemic factors (sarcopenia, leptin, serotonin).

Main Results:

Estrogen deficiency is a dominant factor in bone loss for both aging women and men.
Age-related bone loss involves multiple contributors beyond sex steroids.
Factors include impaired bone formation, altered growth hormone/IGF axis, sarcopenia, and adipocyte/intestinal hormones.

Conclusions:

Sex steroid deficiency is a major, yet often overlooked, factor in male osteoporosis.
A multifactorial approach is necessary for understanding and treating age-related bone loss.
Further research into the relative importance of these factors will improve osteoporosis prevention and therapy.