Crosstalk between muscle and bone

Abstract

Clinical studies revealed a relationship between osteoporosis and sarcopenia. Based on this background, crosstalk between muscle and bone has emerged as a novel research field in the past decade. Among the interactions that occur between muscle and bone, humoral factors, such as osteokines and myokines, affect distant muscles and bones, respectively. Recent studies proposed several important myokines that have an impact on bone, such as myostatin and irisin. Signaling by these myokines has potential as a target for drug development and biomarkers for exercise. Mechanical stress, endocrine disorders, and chronic kidney disease partly affect bone through various myokines in crosstalk between muscle and bone. Moreover, the involvement of extracellular vesicles from bone or muscle as communication tools in the interactions between muscle and bone was recently proposed. Further clinical studies are needed to clarify the significance of myokine regulation under physiological and pathophysiological states in humans.