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REVIEW article
Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Clinical Infectious Diseases
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2025.1581177
This article is part of the Research Topic Immune Insights into Orthopedic Infections: Mechanisms, Biomarkers, and Prevention View all 8 articles
Immune Cell Interactions in Bone Infections: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Insights
Provisionally accepted- 1 Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
- 2 Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
- 3 Faculty of Chinese Medicine and State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicines, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, Macau SAR, China, Macau, China
- 4 Guang’anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
- 5 The First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
- 6 China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
Bone infection often leads to bone destruction, hyperplasia, and sequestrum formation, accompanied by surrounding inflammatory responses. With the advancement of science and technology, particularly the invention of the microscope, it became clear that certain pathogens cause bone infections, with Staphylococcus aureus being the most common. The discovery of penicillin by British scientists significantly advanced the development of anti-infective drugs. Despite the emergence of multiple drug-resistant bacteria, scientists remain confident in overcoming this challenge. The cellular composition of the skeletal system is highly complex. Under physiological conditions, osteoblasts and osteoclasts maintain a balance, and immune cells, particularly macrophages and lymphocytes, exist in a stable state. The immune and skeletal systems mutually support each other in the microenvironment. Immune cells influence osteoblast activity through metabolic substances and participate in bone metabolism, while factors secreted by osteoclasts affect immune cell status, modulating immune responses by altering the bone microenvironment. This close interaction between the two systems ensures bone health. This review focuses on the roles and mechanisms of various immune cells in different types of bone infections.
Keywords: bone infection, immune response, Macrophages, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, chronic osteomyelitis
Received: 21 Feb 2025; Accepted: 02 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wu, Zhang, Wu, An, Wang, Ni and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Jin-Xia Ni, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100001, Beijing Municipality, China
Min Chen, Faculty of Chinese Medicine and State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicines, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, Macau SAR, China, Macau, China
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