We’ve been discussing the fascinating connections between the immune and skeletal systems in our current blog series on Osteoimmunology. But what happens when those interactions turn hostile? This week, we dive deeper into how autoimmune diseases disrupt bone health and fracture repair, transforming the immune system from a protector and cooperative partner into a potential saboteur of skeletal integrity.
Your immune system displays a remarkable precision to recognize and tolerate your healthy cells while seeking out and destroying unfamiliar invaders, such as foreign cells and antigens like microbes and viruses. Autoimmunity arises when your body fails to recognize itself and mistakes your healthy cells and tissues for threats. In deeper medical terms, autoimmunity is linked to defects in the body’s natural immune checkpoints that normally eliminate self-reactive lymphocytes during maturation.
Nearly 1 in 10 people suffer from an autoimmune disease, making it highly likely that you or someone you know is affected by these conditions (1). Some of the most common autoimmune disorders include rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Type 1 diabetes, and celiac disease, just to name a few (2,3,5,6). These conditions involve aberrant immune activation, leading to autoantibody production and inflammation that impacts multiple organs – including bone.
Increased Bone Resorption – Inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1, TNF, or IL-6 stimulate osteoclast activity, leading to accelerated bone resorption.
Impaired Osteogenesis – Autoimmune-related inflammation inhibits osteoblast function, reducing bone regeneration.
Calcium Metabolism – Autoimmunity reduces calcium absorption and increases calcium excretion. Calcium is an essential mineral for healthy bone maintenance. Reduced calcium concentrations mean fewer building blocks for mineralized bone maintenance, further compromising bone strength (3,4,7,8).
At Molecular Matrix, Inc., we are dedicated to advancing bone health and fracture repair through cutting-edge insights into autoimmunity, osteoimmunology, and skeletal biology. Our mission is to develop innovative solutions that enhance bone maintenance and healing. To explore more about our research and breakthroughs, visit www.molecularmatrix.com.
Conrad N., Misra, S., Verbakel, J.Y., Verbeke, G., Molenberghs, G., Taylor, P.N., Mason, J., Sattar, N., McMurray, J.J., McInnes, I.B., Khunti, K., & Cambridge, G. (2023). Incidence, prevalence, and co-occurrence of autoimmune disorders over time and by age, sex, and socioeconomic status: a population-based cohort study of 22 million individuals in the UK. The Lancet, 401(10391), 1878-1890. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)00457-9.
Actor, J. K. (2019). Autoimmunity: Regulation of Response to Self. In Introductory Immunology (pp. 91–102). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-816572-0.00007-3
Amarasekara, D. S., Yu, J., & Rho, J. (2015). Bone Loss Triggered by the Cytokine Network in Inflammatory Autoimmune Diseases. Journal of Immunology Research, 2015, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/832127
Lombardi, F., Franzese, A., Iafusco, D., Del Puente, A., Esposito, A., Prisco, F., Troncone, R., & Valerio, G. (2010). Bone involvement in clusters of autoimmune diseases: Just a complication? Bone, 46(2), 551–555. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bone.2009.09.034
Lončar, S. R., Halcrow, S. E., & Swales, D. (2023). Osteoimmunology: The effect of autoimmunity on fracture healing and skeletal analysis. Forensic Science International: Synergy, 6, 100326. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsisyn.2023.100326
Miller, F. W. (2023). The increasing prevalence of autoimmunity and autoimmune diseases: An urgent call to action for improved understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Current Opinion in Immunology, 80, 102266. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coi.2022.102266
Schwarz, E. M., Looney, R. J., Drissi, M. H., O’Keefe, R. J., Boyce, B. F., Xing, L., & Ritchlin, C. T. (2006). Autoimmunity and Bone. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1068(1), 275–283. https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1346.031
Wu, S., Ye, Z., Yan, Y., Zhan, X., Ren, L., Zhou, C., Chen, T., Yao, Y., Zhu, J., Wu, S., Ma, F., Liu, L., Fan, B., & Liu, C. (2023). The causal relationship between autoimmune diseases and osteoporosis: A study based on Mendelian randomization. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 14, 1196269. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2023.1196269
© 2025 Molecular Matrix, Inc. All rights reserved.