The relationship between circulating osteoprotegerin levels and bone mineral metabolism in healthy women.
OBJECTIVE
Osteoprotegerin (OPG) is a recently identified cytokine that acts as a decoy receptor for the RANK ligand. Moreover, OPG has been shown to be an important inhibitor of osteoclastogenesis in animal models. However, the relationship between circulating OPG levels and female bone status in human populations is unclear. In this study we undertook to investigate the relationship between circulating OPG levels and bone mineral metabolism in healthy women.


METHODS
Our subjects were 287 women aged 37-73 years (mean age 51.5 years). The serum concentrations of OPG were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The biochemical markers of bone turnover and FSH were measured using standard methods. Bone mineral densities at the lumbar spine and femoral neck were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.


RESULTS
Postmenopausal women had a significantly higher mean value of serum OPG than premenopausal women (1358.5 +/- 32.5 pg/ml vs. 1228.8 +/- 33.3 pg/ml, P < 0.01). Serum OPG levels were positively correlated with age (r = 0.169, P < 0.01), as were urine deoxypyridinoline levels (r = 0.133, P < 0.05) and serum FSH levels (r = 0.187, P < 0.01) in a bivariate correlation analyses. In a multiple regression analysis, only urine calcium excretion was identified as a significant predictor for serum OPG levels.


CONCLUSIONS
Circulating OPG levels were found to be associated with urine calcium excretion and menopause in healthy women. Our observations suggest that circulating OPG levels reflect an antiresorptive activity in bone, and they are related to endogenous oestrogen levels.
Oh
Ki Won
KW
Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chunchon, Korea. okwendo@yahoo.co.kr
Rhee
Eun Jung
EJ
Lee
Won Young
WY
Kim
San Woo
SW
Oh
Eun Sook
ES
Baek
Ki Hyun
KH
Kang
Moo Il
MI
Choi
Moon Gi
MG
Yoo
Hyung Joon
HJ
Park
Sung Woo
SW
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000652:urine; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D015519:Bone Density / Q000502:physiology; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000378:metabolism*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005272:Femur Neck / Q000378:metabolism; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D008903:Minerals / Q000378:metabolism*; D053244:Osteoprotegerin; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000378:metabolism; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / Q000097:blood*
D000596:Amino Acids; D015415:Biomarkers; D008903:Minerals; D053244:Osteoprotegerin; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; C506030:TNFRSF11B protein, human; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone; C036020:deoxypyridinoline