Pivotal Roles of Interleukin-17 as the Epicenter of Bone Loss Diseases

Bone remodelling is a strictly regulated dynamic process between bone resorption and bone formation. Many factors are involved in the process and affect the dynamic balance. Inflammation-mediated bone loss is a major feature of various bone diseases, including periodontitis, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondyloarthritis (SpA). Interleukin-17 (IL-17) plays an important role in inflammatory bone disease and could be an attractive therapeutic target. This review focuses on the osteoclastic effects of IL-17 in different cell types and summarizes the current knowledge of IL-17 signalling pathways. Typical IL-17–mediated bone destruction disorders are examined. The review also provides an overview of possible strategies for therapeutic intervention for inflammatory loss of bone targeting IL-17.