Osteoclast function and bone-resorbing activity: An overview

•Osteoclasts are the exclusive bone resorbing cell of haematopoietic origin.•Osteoclastic bone resorption is a multi-step process.•Morphological and functional changes augment bone resorption activity of osteoclasts.•Podosome formation is a landmark feature of osteoclastic bone resorption.•Podosomes consists of a core and a ring structure with associated molecules.

Bone resorption is an important cellular function in skeletal development and remodeling of the adult skeleton. Most of the pathological bone disease conditions like osteoporosis reflect increased osteoclast activity; hence, increased bone resorption. Researchers have unraveled most of the intracellular mechanisms responsible for osteoclast bone-resorbing activity in last few decades. Therefore, understanding the fundamentals of osteoclast-induced bone resorption and the cytokines and other substances that modulate the osteoclast activity unequivocally provide insights into the development of drugs to ameliorate pathological bone diseases with enhanced bone resorption. The aim of this review is to examine the literature on osteoclast function and bone-resorbing activity.