The Effects of Secreted Muscle Factors on Osteoclast and Osteoblast Differentiation and Activity

Abstract

It has been well established that communication exists between osteoclasts and osteoblasts to maintain skeletal integrity. The interaction between muscle and bone is less understood. To better understand if muscle secreted factors, known as myokines, regulate osteoblast and osteoclast differentiation, we treated osteoclasts and MC3T3 (an osteoblast cell line) with control or muscle conditioned media and measured their ability to differentiate. We measured no significant change in osteoclast differentiation or activity in the presence of muscle conditioned media. While not significant, we did measure a trend towards increased mineralization of the MC3T3 cells in the presence of the muscle conditioned media. Our data suggests muscle may secrete factors that enhances the ability of osteoblasts to mineralize a matrix and promote bone formation.