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Related Concept Videos

The Functions of the Skeletal System01:22

The Functions of the Skeletal System

The most apparent functions of the skeletal system are support, protection, and movement. However, bone tissue also performs several other critical metabolic functions. For one, the bone matrix acts as a reservoir for a number of minerals important to the functioning of the body, especially calcium and phosphorus. These minerals, present in the bone tissue, can be released back into the bloodstream when required. Calcium ions, for example, are essential for muscle contractions and controlling...
Bone Remodeling01:40

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 Intramembranous Ossification01:29

Bone Formation by Intramembranous Ossification

Intramembranous ossification is one of the two processes involved in the development of bones within an embryo. The flat bones of the face, most of the cranial bones, and the clavicles are formed via this process. During intramembranous ossification, the bones develop directly from sheets of undifferentiated mesenchymal connective tissue.
The process begins when mesenchymal cells in the embryonic skeleton gather together and differentiate into osteogenic cells, which then develop into...
Role of Vitamins in Maintaining Bone Health01:25

Role of Vitamins in Maintaining Bone Health

The growth and maintenance of bone are regulated by a combination of nutritional factors, including vitamins, such as vitamin A, B12, C, D, and K.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is involved in the process of bone remodeling. Retinoic acid, the active metabolite of Vitamin A, has nuclear receptors in osteoblasts and osteoclasts, which are involved in bone remodeling.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 acts as a cofactor during the formation of osteoblast-related proteins, such as osteocalcin. Vitamin B12 plays a role...
Hormones and Bone Tissue01:17

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...
Bone Formation by Endochondral Ossification01:24

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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Culture of Murine Embryonic Metatarsals: A Physiological Model of Endochondral Ossification
07:23

Culture of Murine Embryonic Metatarsals: A Physiological Model of Endochondral Ossification

Published on: December 3, 2016

Loading and skeletal development and maintenance.

P Bergmann1, J J Body, S Boonen

  • 1Department of Nuclear Medicine, Laboratory of Clinical Chemistry and Experimental Medicine, CHU Brugmann, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 4 Pl. Van Gehuchten, 1020 Brussels, Belgium.

Journal of Osteoporosis
|January 7, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Mechanical loading regulates bone mass via osteocytes sensing fluid flow. Exercise can increase peak bone mass and aid osteoporosis prevention, but adherence is key for long-term benefits.

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Last Updated: Jun 5, 2026

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Published on: January 29, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Bone biology and mechanotransduction
  • Osteoporosis and exercise physiology

Background:

  • Mechanical loading is crucial for bone mass and geometry.
  • Osteocytes, within the lacuno-canalicular system, sense mechanical loads via fluid flow.
  • Disuse leads to osteocyte apoptosis and osteoporosis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the role of mechanical loading and osteocyte mechanosensing in bone health.
  • To evaluate the impact of exercise on bone mass across different life stages.
  • To discuss the potential interplay between exercise and osteoporosis treatments.

Main Methods:

  • Review of literature on bone mechanobiology and exercise interventions.
  • Analysis of osteocyte signaling pathways, including intracellular kinases and extracellular mediators.
  • Examination of exercise effects on bone mass and geometry in various populations.

Main Results:

  • Osteocytes detect mechanical stress through fluid flow, initiating intracellular signaling cascades.
  • Exercise during growth enhances peak bone mass, but benefits may diminish if training ceases.
  • Exercise in adults and seniors shows limited short-term effects on bone mass, though it may reduce fracture risk indirectly.

Conclusions:

  • Osteocyte mechanosensing is vital for bone adaptation to mechanical stimuli.
  • Consistent exercise, particularly weight-bearing activities like walking, is recommended for bone health.
  • Further research is needed on combined exercise and drug therapies for osteoporosis.