Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms Associating Obesity to Bone Loss

Abstract

Obesity is an alarming disease that favors the upset of other illnesses and enhances mortality. It is spreading fast worldwide may affect more than 1 billion people by 2030. The imbalance between excessive food ingestion and less energy expenditure leads to pathological adipose tissue expansion, characterized by increased production of proinflammatory mediators with harmful interferences in the whole organism. Bone tissue is one of those target tissues in obesity. Bone is a mineralized connective tissue that is constantly renewed to maintain its mechanical properties. Osteoblasts are responsible for extracellular matrix synthesis, while osteoclasts resorb damaged bone, and the osteocytes have a regulatory role in this process, releasing growth factors and other proteins. A balanced activity among these actors is necessary for healthy bone remodeling. In obesity, several mechanisms may trigger incorrect remodeling, increasing bone resorption to the detriment of bone formation rates. Thus, excessive weight gain may represent higher bone fragility and fracture risk. This review highlights recent insights on the central mechanisms related to obesity-associated abnormal bone. Publications from the last ten years have shown that the main molecular mechanisms associated with obesity and bone loss involve: proinflammatory adipokines and osteokines production, oxidative stress, non-coding RNA interference, insulin resistance, and changes in gut microbiota. The data collection unveils new targets for prevention and putative therapeutic tools against unbalancing bone metabolism during obesity.