A Review on the Crosstalk between Insulin and Wnt/-Catenin Signalling for Bone Health

A positive association between insulin resistance and osteoporosis has been widely established. However, crosstalk between the signalling molecules in insulin and Wingless (Wnt)/beta-(beta-)catenin transduction cascades orchestrating bone homeostasis remains not well understood. The current review aims to collate the existing evidence, reporting (a) the expression of insulin signalling molecules involved in bone-related disorders and (b) the expression of Wnt/beta-catenin signalling molecules involved in governing insulin homeostasis. The downstream effector molecule, glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK3 beta), has been identified to be a point of convergence linking the two signal transduction networks. This review highlights that GSK3 beta may be a drug target in the development of novel anabolic agents and the potential use of GSK3 beta inhibitors to treat bone-related disorders.