IMMUNOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF OSTEOPOROSIS

Osteoporosis is a major cause of morbidity in older people, There are a large number of risk factors for the development of osteoporosis, Ho wever, these risk factors eventually must mediate their effects throug h modulation of bone remodeling, A variety of compounds including horm ones and mutrients modulate bone remodeling, In addition to these well -characterized substances, the immune system plays a role in bone remo deling through pro-inflammatory cytokines, Specifically, interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-11, interferon-g are known to influence osteoclasts and os teoblasts. Recently, the cytokine IL-6 has joined ranks with these cyt okines as a bone reactive agent, IL-6 has been shown to increase with age and menopause, Additionally, murine models suggest that IL-6 plays a central role in bone resorption, Finally, in vitro studies demonstr ate that IL-6 induces osteoclast activity, In this review, we will dis cuss the pathogenesis of osteoporosis in the context of aging and IL-6 . (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.