Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and osteoporosis often occur together, suggesting an association between CVD and bone loss. Similarly, the correlation of bone loss, atherosclerosis, and aortic calcification, especially in patients with chronic kidney disease, exemplifies a bone-vessel connection. In this issue of the JCI, Santhanam et al. investigated the role of the angiogenesis factor platelet-derived growth factor–BB (PDGF-BB) in vascular stiffening. Serum levels of bone-derived PDGF-BB differed between young and aged mice, and in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) compared with those fed normal chow. Experiments with genetic models led the authors to conclude that bone-derived PDGF-BB mediates the hallmark arterial stiffening of aging and metabolic stress. Notably, excessive preosteoclast-derived PDGF-BB production during aging inhibited osteoblastic bone formation and increased circulating PDGF-BB, which in turn, accelerated vascular stiffness. These findings suggest that modifying circulating PDGF-BB levels may benefit patients with CVD, osteoporosis, and other age-related diseases.

心血管疾病 (CVD) 和骨质疏松症经常同时发生，这表明 CVD 与骨质流失之间存在关联。同样，骨质流失、动脉粥样硬化和主动脉钙化的相关性，尤其是在慢性肾病患者中，是骨-血管连接的例证。在本期 JCI 中，Santhanam 等人。研究了血管生成因子血小板衍生生长因子-BB（PDGF-BB）在血管硬化中的作用。血清中骨源性 PDGF-BB 水平在年轻和老年小鼠之间存在差异，在喂食高脂肪饮食 (HFD) 的小鼠中，与喂食正常食物的小鼠相比。使用遗传模型进行的实验使作者得出结论，骨源性 PDGF-BB 介导了老化和代谢压力的标志性动脉硬化。尤其，衰老过程中过量的前破骨细胞衍生的 PDGF-BB 产生抑制了成骨细胞的骨形成并增加了循环 PDGF-BB，这反过来又加速了血管僵硬。这些研究结果表明，改变循环 PDGF-BB 水平可能会使患有 CVD、骨质疏松症和其他与年龄相关的疾病的患者受益。