# From Development, Disease, and Decline: A Review of What Defines an Osteoclast Progenitor

## TL;DR

This review explores the origins and roles of osteoclast progenitors in bone remodeling, disease, and aging, highlighting opportunities for targeted therapies.

## Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive and critical review of osteoclast progenitor diversity across development, disease, and aging contexts.

## Key findings

- Osteoclast progenitors have varied developmental origins and functions in different skeletal sites.
- Their roles and characteristics change in diseases like periodontitis and rheumatoid arthritis.
- Aging alters osteoclast progenitor profiles, affecting bone healing and regeneration.

## Abstract

Our understanding of the different developmental origins of osteoclast progenitors and their respective roles during homeostatic bone remodeling at different skeletal sites as well as their roles within bone regeneration and degenerative conditions is evolving. In this narrative review article, we summarize what is known about the developmental origins, anatomical sources, and markers of osteoclast progenitors. We touch on how osteoclast progenitors vary during different disease contexts, including periodontitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis. In addition, we also characterize osteoclast progenitors that contribute to bone healing and define changes observed with advancing age. In this regard, we offer a critical review of gaps within our understanding and opportunities for future development within the field. Because of their diverse nature under different contexts, identifying and characterizing osteoclast progenitors may help to advance condition-specific therapies.