Regenerative MedicineHow Bone Ages at Every Scale — And How to Reverse It
Bone aging is far more than losing bone density. This major review from Peking University reveals it as a multi-level degenerative process involving genetic changes, epigenetic drift, oxidative stress, mitochondrial failure, cellular senescence, chronic inflammation, hormonal shifts, and breakdown of the bone's structural scaffolding. Each layer compounds the others, driving fragility fractures that now represent a global public health crisis. The authors map these mechanisms systematically and then survey the full intervention landscape — from lifestyle measures like exercise and diet, to approved drugs like bisphosphonates and anabolic agents, to emerging senolytics that clear senescent cells, to gene therapy and tissue engineering. The review closes by calling for a multi-omics bone aging atlas, bone organoids, and precision prevention strategies that match therapies to individual aging trajectories.
