Effect of vitamin K and/or D on undercarboxylated and intact osteocalcin in osteoporotic patients with vertebral or hip fractures.
OBJECTIVE
To examine serum undercarboxylated osteocalcin (OC) with application of an ELISA in normal women and in osteoporotic patients with vertebral fractures or hip fractures, and to investigate the effects of vitamin K and/or D treatment on undercarboxylated OC and intact OC in vertebral fractures.


METHODS
They were 43 premenopausal (PRE) and 48 postmenopausal healthy females (POST), 89 osteoporotic patients with vertebral fractures (VX) and, 24 patients with hip fracture (HX).


METHODS
Intact OC was measured by an IRMA and undercarboxylated OC was measured by an ELISA.


RESULTS
Intact osteocalcin was significantly higher in POST and VX than in PRE, and was significantly lower in HX than in POST and VX. Undercarboxylated OC tended to be higher in POST, VX and HX than in PRE, but not significantly. The ratio of undercarboxylated OC to intact OC was significantly higher in HX than in POST and in VX. After 4 weeks treatment with K, D, and K + D to 56 VX, undercarboxylated OC decreased significantly in the groups with K and K + D. Intact OC tended to increase slightly in the groups given K, D, K + D, but not significantly so. Vitamin K and vitamin K + D markedly decreased the ratio of undercarboxylated/intact OC to approximately 80%. On the other hand, vitamin D did not decrease that ratio.


CONCLUSIONS
There was a disproportion of undercarboxylated osteocalcin to intact osteocalcin between postmenopausal women and osteoporotic patients with vertebral fractures or hip fractures. Vitamin K did decrease undercarboxylated osteocalcin, vitamin D did not change undercarboxylated osteocalcin, and vitamin D did not enhance the effect of vitamin K on undercarboxylated osteocalcin.
Takahashi
M
M
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan. taka1m@hama-med.ac.jp
Naitou
K
K
Ohishi
T
T
Kushida
K
K
Miura
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006620:Hip Fractures / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D015592:Immunoradiometric Assay; D008875:Middle Aged; D015675:Osteocalcin / Q000097:blood* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000097:blood; D017697:Premenopause / Q000097:blood; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014812:Vitamin K / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D015415:Biomarkers; D015675:Osteocalcin; D014812:Vitamin K; D014807:Vitamin D