Abstract
BACKGROUND: The preadolescent period is a rapid and critical stage of skeletal development. Poor skeletal development during this period can exert profound impacts on children's growth, motor function, psychosocial adaptability, and long-term quality of life. Current interventional strategies for poor skeletal development primarily focus on improving nutrition, enhancing physical activity, maintaining healthy lifestyle habits, and supplementing calcium preparations or growth hormone (GH). However, these approaches yield limited efficacy, and GH supplementation may induce adverse effects. Therefore, identifying safe and effective strategies for improving skeletal development remain a persistent clinical challenge. Recently, the discovery of the "gut-bone axis" has introduced a novel direction for improving skeletal development through gut microbiota modulation. Nonetheless, research in this field remains in its nascent stage. Animal experiments and clinical trials are scarce, mechanistic explorations are insufficient, and clinical translation is constrained. AIM OF REVIEW: To systematically elucidate the role of gut microbiota in skeletal development (rather than bone-related diseases). KEY SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS OF REVIEW: Our review revealed that the "gut-bone axis" plays a crucial role in the process of skeletal development. Certain bacteria (e.g., Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium) can serve as probiotics to promote skeletal development, which expanding novel application scenarios for probiotics. Mechanically, gut microbiota-derived metabolites-particularly short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)-improving skeletal development through multiple pathways, including enhancing nutrient absorption, regulating the GH/IGF-1 signaling pathway, modulating immune function and inhibiting inflammatory responses, as well as directly modulating the expression of bone-related factors. Altogether, the potential of gut microbiota in skeletal development merits attention, yet its efficacy validation and mechanistic exploration require further research support. Future investigations in this field are poised to provide innovative solutions for pediatric growth and development issues, facilitating breakthroughs in clinical challenges.