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REVIEW article

Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Experimental Pharmacology and Drug Discovery
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1516125
This article is part of the Research Topic Pharmacological Mechanisms of Drugs Affecting Bone Formation and Bone Resorption Volume II View all 12 articles

Exosomal Communication: A Pivotal Regulator of Bone Homeostasis and a Potential Therapeutic Target

Provisionally accepted
Qianyun Ye Qianyun Ye 1Yan Cui Yan Cui 2*Haoyu Wang Haoyu Wang 2Lingyu Li Lingyu Li 2*Jianbing Chen Jianbing Chen 2Zhijian Xue Zhijian Xue 1*Ronghua Zhang Ronghua Zhang 2*
  • 1 First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
  • 2 Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Bone homeostasis encompasses two interrelated aspects: bone remodeling and cartilage metabolism. Disruption of bone homeostasis can lead to the development of metabolic bone diseases such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. The maintenance of bone homeostasis is a complex process that does not solely rely on the functions of the bone tissue itself. In fact, bone tissue is not an isolated entity; it is closely connected to other tissues in the body via exosomes. Within this interconnectivity, exosomes derived from both bone and non-bone cells interfere with each other, forming a complex regulatory network. Therefore, with cell origin as the guiding principle, we have delineated the bone regulatory network of exosomes, elaborated on the specific roles and regulatory mechanisms of exosomes derived from common cell types (cells within the skeletal microenvironment, stem cells from extra-osseous tissues, vascular-derived cells, muscle-derived cells, and neurogenic cells) in bone formation, bone resorption, and cartilage metabolism. We have also discussed the challenges faced in the field of exosome research related to bone homeostasis, unveiled the critical role of exosomes in maintaining bone homeostasis, and proposed that exosomes could serve as highly valuable therapeutic targets for metabolic bone diseases.

    Keywords: exosome, Extracellular vesicle, Bone homeostasis, Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis

    Received: 23 Oct 2024; Accepted: 03 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Ye, Cui, Wang, Li, Chen, Xue and Zhang. 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:
    Yan Cui, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong Province, China
    Lingyu Li, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong Province, China
    Zhijian Xue, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
    Ronghua Zhang, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.