The cellular basis of Wolff's law. Transduction of physical stimuli to skeletal adaptation

Abstract

The cellular milieu responsible for skeletal homeostasis is extremely complex, comprised of many elements, and serves to accomplish both structural and metabolic responsibilities. From one perspective, it is the interactions of the cells loosely grouped as "osteoregulatory" which must retain many of the mineral and metabolic levels of the body. From another view, the coordinated formation and resorption of mineralized tissues, relegated by this same population of cells, is predominantly responsible for achieving and retaining the structural integrity of the skeleton. Unfortunately, the predominant focus of much research is asympathetic to the multifaceted role of the skeleton; it is perceived either as a mineral reservoir or as a structural entity. The skeleton, however, is both of these things. It is not until we acknowledge the dual responsibility of bone that we will be able to understand what parameters, systemic or local, control its regulation. Considered within the context of a three-dimensional movie, with metabolic roles cast in red and structural ones in green, neither the impact nor depth of the film can be appreciated until viewed through the glasses which consider the intricate balance between both the mechanical and mineral dimensions.