title: Serum β -Catenin Levels Associated with the Ratio of RANKL/OPG in Patients with Postmenopausal Osteoporosis.
abstract: Objective. To demonstrate the role of Wnt/ β -catenin canonical pathway in postmenopausal osteoporosis by evaluating serum β -catenin levels in patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis and analyzing their possible relationship with serum OPG, RANKL, the ratio of RANKL/OPG, sclerostin, and bone turnover markers. Methods. 480 patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis and 170 healthy postmenopausal women were enrolled in the study. Serum β -catenin, OPG, RANKL, and sclerostin levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Bone status was assessed by measuring bone mineral density and bone turnover markers. Estradiol levels were also detected. Results. Serum β -catenin levels were lower in postmenopausal osteoporotic women compared to nonosteoporotic postmenopausal women (26.26 ± 14.81 versus 39.33 ± 5.47 pg/mL, P < 0.001). Serum β -catenin was positively correlated with osteoprotegerin (r = 0.232, P < 0.001) and negatively correlated with the ratio of RANKL/OPG, body mass index, and sclerostin (r = -0.128, P = 0.005; r = -0.117, P = 0.010; r = -0.400, P < 0.001, resp.) in patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis. Conclusion. The results indicate that lower serum β -catenin and concomitantly higher ratio of RANKL/OPG may be involved in the pathogenesis of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Functional communication between RANKL/RANK/OPG system and Wnt pathways plays an important role in postmenopausal osteoporosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430022, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Juan
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Yan-Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shuai
authors.forename: Cheng-Gang
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Man-Xiang
authors.initials: MX
authors.lastname: Wu