Close to the bone: metabolic effects of glucocorticoids

Long-term glucocorticoid treatment is associated with many dangerous side effects, including weight gain, insulin resistance, diabetes, and osteoporosis; however, the pathological mechanisms that cause these side effects are not well understood.

In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers led by Tara Brennan-Speranza at the University of Sydney in Australia found that bone-building osteoblasts play a pivotal role in the metabolic effects of glucocorticoids. Disruption of glucocorticoid signalling in osteoblasts inhibited the effects of glucocorticoids on weight gain and insulin resistance in mice.

These results suggest that the effects of glucocorticoids on metabolism are mediated, at least in part, by the skeleton. In a companion commentary, C. Ronald Kahn of Harvard Medical School discusses the implications of these findings in the development of therapeutics to combat the side effects of glucocorticoids.

TITLE: Osteoblasts mediate the adverse effects of glucocorticoids on fuel metabolism

ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY TITLE:>New Mechanisms of Glucocorticoid Induced Insulin Resistance: Make No Bones About It