Original Article

You have full text access to this OnlineOpen article

The gut microbiota regulates bone mass in mice†

  1. Klara Sjögren1,*,
  2. Cecilia Engdahl1,
  3. Petra Henning1,
  4. Ulf H Lerner1,2,
  5. Valentina Tremaroli3,
  6. Marie K Lagerquist1,
  7. Fredrik Bäckhed3,
  8. Claes Ohlsson1

Article first published online: 17 MAY 2012

DOI: 10.1002/jbmr.1588

Issue

Journal of Bone and Mineral Research

Journal of Bone and Mineral Research

Volume 27, Issue 6, pages 1357–1367, June 2012

Additional Information

How to Cite

Sjögren, K., Engdahl, C., Henning, P., Lerner, U. H., Tremaroli, V., Lagerquist, M. K., Bäckhed, F. and Ohlsson, C. (2012), The gut microbiota regulates bone mass in mice. J Bone Miner Res, 27: 1357–1367. doi: 10.1002/jbmr.1588

Author Information

  1. 1

    Centre for Bone and Arthritis Research, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

  2. 2

    Department of Molecular Periodontology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden

  3. 3

    Center for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research/Wallenberg Laboratory, Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

*Associate Professor, Institute of Medicine, Centre for Bone and Arthritis Research, Vita Stråket 11, SE-413 45 Gothenburg, Sweden.

  1. †

    Re-use of this article is permitted in accordance with the Terms and Conditions set out at http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/onlineopen#OnlineOpen_Terms.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 17 MAY 2012
  2. Article first published online: 17 MAY 2012
  3. Accepted manuscript online: 9 MAR 2012 08:55AM EST
  4. Manuscript Accepted: 17 FEB 2012
  5. Manuscript Revised: 8 FEB 2012
  6. Manuscript Received: 31 OCT 2011

Funded by

  • Unknown funding agency

SEARCH

SEARCH BY CITATION

ARTICLE TOOLS

View Full Article with Supporting Information (HTML) Get PDF (568K)

Keywords:

  • GERM FREE;
  • OSTEOPOROSIS;
  • OSTEOIMMUNOLOGY;
  • SEROTONIN;
  • BONE METABOLISM

Abstract

The gut microbiota modulates host metabolism and development of immune status. Here we show that the gut microbiota is also a major regulator of bone mass in mice. Germ-free (GF) mice exhibit increased bone mass associated with reduced number of osteoclasts per bone surface compared with conventionally raised (CONV-R) mice. Colonization of GF mice with a normal gut microbiota normalizes bone mass. Furthermore, GF mice have decreased frequency of CD4+ T cells and CD11b+/GR 1 osteoclast precursor cells in bone marrow, which could be normalized by colonization. GF mice exhibited reduced expression of inflammatory cytokines in bone and bone marrow compared with CONV-R mice. In summary, the gut microbiota regulates bone mass in mice, and we provide evidence for a mechanism involving altered immune status in bone and thereby affected osteoclast-mediated bone resorption. Further studies are required to evaluate the gut microbiota as a novel therapeutic target for osteoporosis. © 2012 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

View Full Article with Supporting Information (HTML) Get PDF (568K)