[Hormones and osteoporosis update. Possible roles of pituitary hormones, TSH and FSH, for bone metabolism].

Accumulating evidence clearly indicates both thyroid hormone and estrogen have a pivotal role in bone metabolism. Pituitary hormones, TSH and FSH, regulate circulating levels of thyroid hormone and estrogen, respectively. Recent works raise a possibility that either TSH or FSH also has its own direct effects on bone cells involved in bone resorption and formation. However, several investigations of genetically manipulated model mice and clinical data from patients with certain diseases have provided inconsistent results and we are not yet ready to be convinced whether or not either TSH or FSH is physiologically and pathophysiologically involved in controlling bone metabolism.