title: Hepatic osteodystrophy: does the osteoprotegerin/receptor activator of nuclear factor-kB ligand system play a role?
abstract: Multiple factors can contribute to the development of osteodystrophy in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD). Recently, two new cytokines, osteoprotegerin (OPG) and the receptor activator of nuclear factor-kB ligand (RANKL), have been implicated in the pathogenesis of postmenopausal osteoporosis and other metabolic bone diseases. Therefore, the aim of our study was to evaluate bone metabolism, bone mineral density (BMD) and OPG/RANKL system in 65 male patients with CLD and in 65 healthy controls. Our patients showed lower BMD values than controls both at lumbar and femoral levels. Moreover, they had an unbalanced bone turnover with an increased resorption phase, as shown by high levels of urinary deoxypyridinoline and a decreased formation phase, as shown by the slightly, but significant, low levels of bone-alkaline phosphatase. Patients showed lower plasma levels of free-testosterone than controls and higher - although not significantly so - plasma levels of 17 beta-estradiol. Furthermore, patients with CLD had higher levels of sex hormone-binding globulin and OPG, and lower levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-HOD) and IGF-I than the control group, while RANKL levels were similar in the two groups. In conclusion, our data do not confirm the hypothesis that the OPG/RANKL system could exert a key role in the pathogenesis of hepatic osteodystrophy, but rather that the observed increase in OPG levels may represent either the result of the inflammatory process per se or a compensation for the observed enhanced bone resorption.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy. agostino.gaudio@tin.it
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gaudio
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lasco
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Morabito
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Atteritano
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vergara
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Catalano
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Fries
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Trifiletti
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Frisina
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000097:blood; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000652:urine; D015519:Bone Density / Q000502:physiology; D001851:Bone Diseases, Metabolic / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000378:metabolism; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D053244:Osteoprotegerin; D053245:RANK Ligand; D053246:Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-kappa B; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin / Q000378:metabolism; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D006023:Glycoproteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D053244:Osteoprotegerin; D053245:RANK Ligand; D053246:Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-kappa B; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin; C505686:TNFRSF11A protein, human; C506030:TNFRSF11B protein, human; C505688:TNFSF11 protein, human; D014807:Vitamin D; D013739:Testosterone; D004958:Estradiol; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; C036020:deoxypyridinoline; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase