Inactivation of AR or ERα in extrahypothalamic neurons does not affect osteogenic response to loading in male mice

Failure of bone mass maintenance in spite of functional loading is an important contributor to osteoporosis and related fractures. While the link between sex steroids and the osteogenic response to loading is well established, the underlying mechanisms are unknown, hampering clinical relevance. Androgens inhibit mechanoresponsiveness in male mice, but the cell type mediating this effect remains unidentified. To evaluate the role of neuronal sex steroid receptor signaling in the male bone's adaptive capacity, we subjected adult male mice with an extrahypothalamic neuron-specific knockout of the androgen receptor (N-ARKO) or the estrogen receptor alpha (N-ERαKO) to in vivo mechanical stimulation of the tibia. Loading increased cortical thickness in the control animals mainly through periosteal expansion, as total cross-sectional tissue area and cortical bone area but not medullary area were higher in the loaded than the unloaded tibia. Trabecular bone volume fraction also increased upon loading in the control group, mostly due to trabecular thickening. N-ARKO and N-ERαKO males displayed a loading response at both the cortical and trabecular bone compartments that was not different from their control littermates. In conclusion, we show that the presence of androgen receptor or estrogen receptor alpha in extrahypothalamic neurons is dispensable for the osteogenic response to mechanical loading in male mice.