[Bone remodeling and glucose/lipid metabolism]

It has been demonstrated that osteocalcin, osteoblast-derived molecule, regulates glucose/lipid metabolism through increasing insulin secretion from pancreas and insulin sensitivity in peripheral tissues. This finding established that bone is an important endocrine organ to regulate glucose/lipid metabolism. Recently, it has been reported that insulin signaling in osteoblasts was a positive regulator of bone acquisition, but also of bone resorption. Interestingly, insulin signaling in osteoblasts activated osteocalcin embedded in bone ECM by stimulating resorption activity in osteoclast. This finding indicated that the osteoblasts is an important target cells used by insulin which playing a central role in glucose/lipid metabolism. The bone/glucose metabolism interaction established by these studies will be important to a study of the two fields in the future, particularly a clinical field.