Low serum sclerostin levels in newborns with vitamin D deficiency.
BACKGROUND
Sclerostin is a glycoprotein produced by osteocytes that is being evaluated as a potential clinical marker of bone turnover. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between neonatal vitamin D status and levels of circulating sclerostin.


METHODS
Forty newborns were recruited for the study. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D] concentration <20 ng/mL and the newborns were divided into two groups as vitamin D deficient and vitamin D sufficient groups. Calcium, phosphate, alkaline phosphatase and sclerostin were measured at birth.


RESULTS
Newborns with vitamin D deficiency had markedly lower 25(OH)D levels than vitamin D sufficient newborns (8.5±4.4 ng/mL vs. 35.3±10.6 ng/mL, p<0.001). Vitamin D deficient infants also had significantly lower serum sclerostin levels (188.4±21.9 vs. 282.3±30.4 pg/mL; p: 0.026) than vitamin D sufficient newborns at birth. However, we did not detect a significant linear association between neonatal sclerostin and maternal/neonatal 25(OH)D levels.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data also demonstrated that vitamin D deficient newborns exhibited lower sclerostin levels than vitamin D sufficient newborns. The low sclerostin level might serve as a marker of decreased osteocyte activity in newborns with vitamin D deficiency.
Ozgur
O
Pirgon
Gonca
G
Sandal
Hasan
H
Cetin
Bumin
B
Dundar
D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D000328:Adult; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000097:blood; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010710:Phosphates / Q000097:blood; D011379:Prognosis; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000097:blood*; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D055815:Young Adult
D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D015415:Biomarkers; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; D005819:Genetic Markers; D010710:Phosphates; C422903:SOST protein, human; D014807:Vitamin D; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase; D002118:Calcium