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Related Concept Videos

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...
Role of Skin in Vitamin D Synthesis01:23

Role of Skin in Vitamin D Synthesis

The skin plays a crucial role in the synthesis of vitamin D, a vital nutrient for various physiological processes in the body. Vitamin D is unique because it can be synthesized in the skin through a series of chemical reactions triggered by exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation from sunlight.
The solar UV B rays (290-315 nm) are absorbed by the skin, and 7-dehydrocholesterol (provitamin D3) photolyzes it to previtamin D3, which undergoes a rapid transformation to vitamin D3(cholecalciferol).
Essential Minerals for Bone Health01:31

Essential Minerals for Bone Health

The minerals contained in all of the food we consume are essential for our organ systems. However, certain essential minerals, such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, and fluoride, largely affect bone health.
Calcium and Phosphorus
Calcium is a critical component of bones, especially in the form of calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate. Since the body cannot make calcium, it must be obtained from the diet. However, calcium cannot be absorbed from the small intestine without...
Skeleton and Calcium Homeostasis01:21

Skeleton and Calcium Homeostasis

Calcium is not only the most abundant mineral in bone but also the most abundant mineral in the human body. Calcium ions are needed for bone mineralization, tooth health, heart rate regulation and strength of contraction, blood coagulation, the contraction of smooth and skeletal muscle cells, and the regulation of nerve impulse conduction. The average calcium level in the blood is about 10 mg/dL. When the body cannot maintain this level, a person will experience hypo or hypercalcemia.
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 Disorders01:29

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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 22, 2026

Isolation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Human Alveolar Periosteum and Effects of Vitamin D on Osteogenic Activity of Periosteum-derived Cells
06:47

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

Vitamin D and bone.

Daniel D Bikle1

  • 1University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA. Daniel.bikle@ucsf.edu

Current Osteoporosis Reports
|May 1, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Vitamin D plays a crucial role in bone health. While it indirectly aids calcium absorption to treat rickets and osteomalacia, its direct effects on bone cells are vital for preventing osteopenia and fractures.

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

  • Endocrinology
  • Bone Biology
  • Nutritional Science

Background:

  • Bone cells (chondrocytes, osteoblasts, osteoclasts) possess the vitamin D receptor and CYP27B1, enabling local production of active vitamin D (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D).
  • Both 25-hydroxyvitamin D and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D exert direct effects on skeletal cells.
  • Vitamin D deficiency or receptor/enzyme mutations cause rickets and osteomalacia, correctable by enhancing intestinal calcium and phosphate absorption, highlighting indirect effects.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the direct and indirect actions of vitamin D on bone metabolism.
  • To elucidate the relative importance of vitamin D's direct versus indirect effects on skeletal health.
  • To provide clinical guidelines for using vitamin D to prevent bone loss and fractures.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies investigating vitamin D's role in bone cell function.
  • Analysis of clinical data on vitamin D deficiency and supplementation.
  • Synthesis of evidence regarding direct cellular effects and indirect systemic effects of vitamin D.

Main Results:

  • Indirect effects of vitamin D, primarily through enhanced intestinal calcium and phosphate absorption, are key in treating rickets and osteomalacia.
  • Direct effects of vitamin D on osteoblast and osteoclast function are crucial for preventing osteopenic bone, but are not reversed by dietary calcium/phosphate manipulation.
  • Impaired osteoblast or osteoclast function due to vitamin D-related issues leads to osteopenia.

Conclusions:

  • Vitamin D has both direct and indirect mechanisms influencing bone health.
  • Understanding the balance between these actions is critical for effective clinical management of bone diseases.
  • Clinical application of vitamin D should consider its direct cellular impacts alongside its systemic effects on mineral absorption to optimize prevention and treatment of bone loss and fractures.