Bone As An Endocrine Organ

Objective To review the recent evidence that has emerged supporting the role of bone as an endocrine organ. Methods This review will detail how bone has emerged as a bona fide endocrine “gland,” and with that, the potential therapeutic implications that could be realized for this hormone-secreting tissue by detailing the evidence in the literature supporting this view. Results The recent advances point to the skeleton as an endocrine organ that modulates glucose tolerance and testosterone production by secretion of the bone-specific protein osteocalcin. Conclusions Bone has classically been viewed as an inert structure that is necessary for mobility, calcium homeostasis, and maintenance of the hematopoietic niche. Recent advances in bone biology using complex genetic manipulations in mice have highlighted the importance of bone not only as a structural scaffold to support the human body, but also as a regulator of a number of metabolic processes that are independent of mineral metabolism. (Endocr Pract. 2012;18:758-762)