title: Clinical usefulness of the serum N-terminal propeptide of type I collagen as a marker of bone formation in hemodialysis patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An intact collagen I amino-terminal propeptide (PINP) assay has been developed as a useful assay for bone formation. The present study was performed to investigate the clinical usefulness of serum PINP as a bone-formation marker in hemodialysis (HD) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  PINP and other bone-formation markers, ie, bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP) and intact osteocalcin (OC), were determined in serum samples collected from 209 HD patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum PINP levels, in contrast to serum BAP and OC levels, did not change significantly during a single HD session (P = 0.069; n = 14). There were significant positive correlations between serum PINP and BAP (r = 0.723; P < 0.001) and OC values (r = 0.739; P < 0.001), as well as intact parathyroid hormone (r = 0.652; P < 0.001) and bone-resorption marker values: deoxypyridinoline (DPD; r = 0.823; P < 0.001), pyridinoline (PYD; r = 0.735; P < 0.001), and beta-crosslaps (r = 0.705; P < 0.001). Serum PINP values correlated significantly more strongly than serum BAP values with all bone-resorption markers. Serum PINP values significantly correlated negatively with annual changes in bone mineral density (BMD) in the distal third of the radius (r = -0.286; P < 0.001). When subjects were divided into tertiles according to degree of bone loss, subjects with greater bone loss had significantly greater serum PINP, BAP, and OC levels, although PINP and OC provided greater discrimination than BAP. PINP-PYD and PINP-DPD ratios, indices of osteoblast function not confounded by enhanced bone resorption, significantly positively correlated with annual BMD changes in the distal third of the radius (PINP-PYD ratio, P = 0.008; PINP-DPD, P = 0.015).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum PINP may provide a better marker of osteoblast function in HD patients and thus be clinically useful for predicting radius bone loss.
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon / Q000379:methods; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000097:blood; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015519:Bone Density / Q000502:physiology; D001862:Bone Resorption / Q000097:blood; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D003094:Collagen / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015675:Osteocalcin / Q000097:blood; D010012:Osteogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone / Q000097:blood; D010748:Phosphopeptides / Q000097:blood*; D011347:Procollagen; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood*; D011884:Radius / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C062121:N-propeptide type I collagen; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone; D010748:Phosphopeptides; D011347:Procollagen; D011498:Protein Precursors; D015675:Osteocalcin; D003094:Collagen; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase; D002118:Calcium