Role of Physical Activity in Bone–Muscle Crosstalk: Biological Aspects and Clinical Implications

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.

Bone Mineral Density Changes during Weight Regain following Weight Loss with and without Exercise

“…Beyond lean mass and bone influencing each other through mechanical stress, there are numerous additional mechanisms by which weight-bearing AEX may influence BMD. It is now accepted that muscle and bone interact via paracrine signaling, and likely that factors secreted by contracting muscle (i.e., follistatin, irisin, interleukins) can synergize with mechanical loading to regulate BMD [ 28 ]. Further, AEX can affect major autocrine and endocrine pathways (i.e., sex hormones, growth hormone (GH), and insulin-like growth factor-1) that can influence both muscle and bone.…”

Hippocampal Adaptations to Continuous Aerobic Training: A Functional and Ultrastructural Evaluation in a Young Murine Model

“…Physical exercise has positive effects on general health and reduces the incidence of pathological conditions such as diabetes, osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and other chronic disorders [1][2][3]. The positive effects of exercise on brain activity have long been discussed, although only recently scientific evidence based on neuroimaging approaches demonstrated the effectiveness of physical activity in improving cognitive health across the human lifespan [4,5].…”

Role of Myostatin in Muscle Degeneration by Random Positioning Machine Exposure: An in vitro Study for the Treatment of Sarcopenia

“…The muscle decline strongly affects bone tropism, mobility, and skeletal system characteristics (Scimeca et al, 2015). Noteworthy, recent studies have reported a strong association between sarcopenia and the occurrence of degenerative bone diseases, such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, suggesting a key role of bone-muscle crosstalk in understanding the pathophysiology of sarcopenia (Tarantino et al, 2015a;Cariati et al, 2021). Therefore, in this study we included OA and OP patients undergoing hip arthroplasty for osteoarthritis and fragility fracture, respectively.…”

“…Sarcopenia is a typical pathological condition of aging characterized by a progressive reduction in muscle strength and function leading to physical frailty and an increased risk of falls and fractures (Cariati et al, 2021). The molecular mechanisms underlying the development and progression of sarcopenia include nuclear apoptosis, mitochondrial dysfunction, and muscle fiber denervation (Deschenes, 2004;Alway and Siu, 2008;Marzetti et al, 2013).…”