BoneKEy Reports | Reviews

Serotonin: good or bad for bone

Marie-Christine de Vernejoul
Corinne Collet
Yasmine Chabbi-Achengli



DOI:10.1038/bonekey.2012.120

Abstract

Besides its action as a neurotransmitter, serotonin has multiple physiological functions in several peripheral organs. Recently, Yadav et al. suggested that peripheral serotonin produced in the gut was a major negative regulator of osteoblast proliferation. These data were challenged by Cui et al. that showed no change in bone density in mature mice with a global invalidation of tryptophan hydroxylase 1, the enzyme responsible of serotonin synthesis in the periphery. In this context, we showed that osteoclasts are able to synthetize serotonin that acts locally to induce osteoclast precursors differentiation. Our data and previous results from others suggest that rather than acting as a hormone, serotonin produced in the bone could act locally on osteoclast and osteoblast realizing in the bone a complete micro-serotoninergic system.


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