Mechanical Load Triggers a Metabolic-Epigenetic Switch That Builds Alveolar Bone
· newswise.com · popularity 16/100 · 0 similar stories today · Science & Research Methods (Discovery & Research)
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Summary
<img src="https://www.newswise.com/legacy/image.php?image=https://media.newswise.com/pio/articles/857681/6ae43c8fcf2c6_ScreenShot_2026-10-30_144320_265_857681.png&width=100&height=150" alt="Newswise image" />Orthodontic tooth movement relies on mechanical force to remodel alveolar bone, yet how periodontal ligament (PDL) fibroblasts convert mechanical cues into signals that favor bone formation remains unclear. A new study shows that tensile force activates glycolysis in PDL fibroblasts, increasing glycolysis and driving histone H3 lysine 18 lactylation (H3K18la). H3K18la enrichment at the promoter of C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 1 (CXCL1) enhances its transcription and secretion. Fibroblast-derived CXCL1 then acts through C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 2 (CXCR2) on macrophages, boosting mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and promoting pro-resolving M2 macrophage polarization. In mice, blocking glycolysis or CXCR2 impaired M2 infiltration and reduced tension-side bone formation, identifying a glycolysis-H3K18la-CXCL1 axis that couples mechanical load to a bone-building immune niche.
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