骨质疏松症是全球重要的骨骼疾病之一。骨的稳态在细胞的帮助下发生，这些细胞即骨母细胞和骨吸收细胞。生理和病理情况导致细胞通过凋亡、自噬和坏死而死亡。凋亡是骨骼的生长、发育和维持的关键因素。凋亡在内源性（线粒体）和外源性（死亡受体）途径下产生。骨母细胞的凋亡受到B细胞淋巴瘤2 (Bcl-2)家族蛋白、细胞外信号调节激酶（ERK）、丝裂原激活蛋白激酶（MAPK）、磷脂酰肌醇三磷酸激酶/蛋白激酶B（PI3-K/Akt）、JAK2蛋白酪氨酸激酶、骨形成蛋白（BMP）和骨基质蛋白等因素的调控。细胞因子与骨细胞相互作用并诱导凋亡。炎症信号刺激骨细胞凋亡并增加骨细胞细胞因子的产生。现有疗法存在不良反应，限制了它们的应用。各种植物代谢物已经显示对骨骼有益的作用。本综述讨论了正常骨代谢和导致骨质恶化的凋亡机制。此外，它还讨论了植物代谢物对骨骼凋亡的作用，并提出它们在各种实验模型中的功效相关指示。版权所有© Bentham Science Publishers；如有任何疑问，请通过epub@benthamscience.net发送邮件。

Osteoporosis is one of the skeletal diseases of major health concern worldwide. Homeostasis of bone occurs with the help of cells, namely, osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Physiological and pathological conditions involve the death of the cells by apoptosis, autophagy, and necrosis. Apoptosis is a key factor in the growth, development, and maintenance of the skeleton. Apoptosis is generated by two pathways: the intrinsic (mitochondria) and extrinsic (death receptor) pathways. Osteoblast apoptosis is governed by the factors like B cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family proteins, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK), phosphoinositide-3-kinase/ protein kinase B (PI3-K/Akt), Janus kinase 2 (JAK2), bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), and bone matrix protein. Cytokines interact with osteocytes and induce apoptosis. A pro-inflammatory signal stimulates osteocyte apoptosis and increases osteocyte cytokines production. Current therapies have adverse effects which limit their applications. Various plant metabolites have shown beneficial effects on bone. The present review converses about normal bone metabolism and the mechanism of apoptosis leading to bone deterioration. Furthermore, it discusses the role of plant metabolites on bone apoptosis with related indications of efficacy in various experimental models.Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.