title: Immune changes in post-menopausal osteoporosis: the Immunos study.
abstract: The phenotypic and functional characteristics of immune cells of osteoporotic women compared to healthy controls similar for age and estrogen level showed for the first time significant changes in several B lymphocytes populations in postmenopausal osteoporosis, related to bone mineral density (BMD) and fractures, and a significant lower basal secretion of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) by CD4(+).
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  To investigate the interactions between bone and immune system, we studied the phenotypic and functional characteristics of immune cells of 26 postmenopausal women with osteoporotic (OP) fractures compared to 24 healthy controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed surface markers of peripheral B, CD4(+) and CD8(+) lymphocytes and cytokine secretion in supernatants of these cells cultured with or without stimulation. Body composition was assessed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The two groups were similar for age and estrogen level. OP women had a significantly lower body mass index, fat mass, and lean mass. The number of CD19(+), CD19(+)/CD27(+), CD19(+)/CD27(+)/CD5(-)/CD38(+) and CD19(+)/CD27(+)/RANK(+), CD4(+)/CD27(+)/CD45RA(-)/RANK(+), and CD4(+)/CD27(+)/CD45RA(-)/CD28(+) was lower in OP women and positively correlated to BMD. In OP women, under basal conditions, CD4(+) secreted less IFN-gamma and B lymphocytes more granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). GM-CSF was positively correlated to fracture rate and negatively to BMD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that, regardless of age and estrogen status, postmenopausal OP is associated with immune changes, highlighting a possible role of IFN-gamma in the pathophysiology of OP and reporting, for the first time, changes in several B lymphocyte populations. These alterations may reflect the frailty observed after fracture, providing new insight into the mechanisms of morbidity and mortality associated with OP fractures.
authors.affiliation: Service de Rhumatologie, CHU de Nice, Hôpital l'Archet, Nice, France. breuil@unice.fr
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Breuil
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ticchioni
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Testa
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Roux
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Breittmayer
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Albert-Sabonnadière
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Durant
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Perreti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bernard
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Euller-Ziegler
authors.forename: G F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Carle
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016175:B-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology; D004967:Estrogens / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008875:Middle Aged; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D058866:Osteoporotic Fractures / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D004967:Estrogens; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor