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Abstract Bone is a dynamic tissue that is permanently remodeled as an intrinsic mechanism to regenerate itself and as a means to integrate the various chemical, hormonal, and biomechanical external stimuli. At the cellular level, bone remodeling follows a sequence of repetitive cycles of bone resorption by osteoclasts which are derived from the monocytic/macrophagic lineage, followed by bone formation by osteoblasts which are derived from a pluripotent mesenchymal stem cell Osteoblast-osteoclast contact, intercellular communication, and coordination are crucial for controlled differentiation, activation, and function of both cell lineages in order to accomplish longitudinal growth, to generate new bone during fracture repair, to achieve peak bone mass, and to preserve bone during life. The majority of metabolic bone diseases are caused by a disturbance of the number or activity of osteoclasts, resulting in inappropriately high bone resorption which exceeds the compensatory capacity of osteoblasts |