Abstract
Bone and muscle tissues influence each other through the integration of mechanical and biochemical signals, giving rise to bone–muscle crosstalk. They are also known to secrete osteokines, myokines, and cytokines into the circulation, influencing the biological and pathological activities in local and distant organs and cells. In this regard, even osteoporosis and sarcopenia, which were initially thought to be two independent diseases, have recently been defined under the term “osteosarcopenia”, to indicate a synergistic condition of low bone mass with muscle atrophy and hypofunction. Undoubtedly, osteosarcopenia is a major public health concern, being associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. The best current defence against osteosarcopenia is prevention based on a healthy lifestyle and regular exercise. The most appropriate type, intensity, duration, and frequency of exercise to positively influence osteosarcopenia are not yet known. However, combined programmes of progressive resistance exercises, weight-bearing impact exercises, and challenging balance/mobility activities currently appear to be the most effective in optimising musculoskeletal health and function. Based on this evidence, the aim of our review was to summarize the current knowledge about the role of exercise in bone–muscle crosstalk, highlighting how it may represent an effective alternative strategy to prevent and/or counteract the onset of osteosarcopenia.
Highlights
Over the past decade, knowledge about the secretory activity of bone and muscle has been greatly improved
Mechanical stresses regulate the production of osteokines and myokines with autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine functions; in turn, these induce molecular and structural changes in cells and tissues, improving their ability to respond to mechanical stress [4,5]
We have recently investigated the role of Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 (BMP-2) and myostatin in the response of human satellite cells from osteoporotic, osteoarthritic, and healthy patients to simulated microgravity conditions, to identify the main molecules involved in the degeneration/regeneration phenomena of muscle tissue related to altered mechanical loading [31]
Summary
Knowledge about the secretory activity of bone and muscle has been greatly improved. It is accepted that both tissues are responsible for the secretion of a wide variety of molecules with hormonal function, as well as influencing each other through mechanical stress [1,2,3] These mechanical and biochemical inputs should not be considered as separate signals, but as two important factors cooperating synergistically in the same system. A healthy lifestyle and regular exercise are the first-line choices for the prevention and treatment of osteosarcopenia [11] Based on this evidence, the aim of our review was to investigate the impact of exercise on bone and muscle tissue health by (i) summarizing the current knowledge on the mechanical and biochemical interactions underlying bone–muscle crosstalk; and (ii) highlighting how exercise may represent an effective alternative strategy to prevent and/or counteract the onset of osteosarcopenia
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