Professor Pedro P. Chaves de Souza, Faculty of Dentistry, Federal University of Goiás, Brazil

Osteoimmunology and the role of cytokines controlling bone modeling and remodeling 

Bone is a highly dynamic organ that undergoes continuous remodeling throughout life. Osteoclasts and osteoblasts are the two types of cells that are responsible for bone resorption and neoformation, respectively. In physiological bone remodeling, bone resorption is coupled with increased bone formation to maintain bone mass. However, inflammation-induced bone resorption is commonly associated with decreased bone formation, leading to decreased bone mass. During inflammation, osteoclasts respond to pathogen receptor molecular patterns and cytokines due to their common origin with immune cells. We will discuss the origin of bone cells and delve into some cytokine signaling pathways to understand how cytokines modulate the function of bone cells. Finally, we will discuss the paradigm shift regarding inflammation inducing resorption and inhibiting formation, showing data that inflammation also increases bone formation, in a process independent of osteoclasts.