Editorial: Bone health and disease in veterinary species.

Abstract

The days when bone was considered a static tissue providing only mechanical support for the body are long gone. In fact, bone is a highly dynamic tissue with numerous interactions and functions that provide not only movement, support, and protection but also influence in mineral metabolism and homeostasis, hematopoiesis, immune activity, glucose/energy metabolism, and the endocrine system (1, 2).

The articles within this Research Topic addressed the changes and response of bone to trauma and repair using a variety of tools and techniques. For example, Bow et al. explored and characterized bone repair after trauma using radiography, computed tomography, histology, and biomechanical data. The authors also provided valuable information on the metabolic profile of bone repair using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry which revealed distinct patterns of small molecule profiles associated with cell differentiation/function and changes in the extracellular matrix conformation that occur during bone healing.