title: Bone Marrow Lipid Profiles from Peripheral Skeleton as Potential Biomarkers for Osteoporosis: A 1H-MR Spectroscopy Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To characterize the lipidic profile of bone marrow in the calcaneus and femoral neck of healthy, osteopenic, and osteoporotic women, by using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) at 3T. The final goal was to identify specific metabolites with the potential ability to discriminate between healthy, osteopenic, and osteoporotic subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-two and thirty three postmenopausal women recruited to investigate calcaneus and femoral neck, respectively, underwent a bone mineral density (BMD) measurement to be classified as healthy subjects (n = 22), osteopenic (n = 45), or osteoporotic (n = 28) patients. MRS spectra were used to quantify and compare bone marrow fat resonances between the three BMD groups. Between-group differences were tested using a Welch analysis of variance. Multiple comparisons were made with the Games-Howell correction. Relationships between pairs of variables were assessed with linear correlation analysis. Reproducibility analysis was performed for all the lipid resonances in both sites.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The reproducibility was satisfactory. In femoral neck, methylene (L13), glycerol (L41, L43), and total lipid resonances were significantly lower in healthy as compared to osteoporotic subjects. On the other hand, in calcaneus, L13/glycerol significantly discriminated between osteopenic and osteoporotic subjects whereas L13/(unsaturated lipid) discriminated between healthy and osteopenic group. However, the reproducibility of both unsaturated lipid and glycerol resonances were less optimal.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MRS of bone marrow lipid profiles from peripheral skeletal sites may be a promising tool for screening of large population to identify individuals with or at risk for developing osteoporosis. Moreover, it provides information about the metabolic changes occurring in bone marrow with the development of osteoporosis, which are skeletal site dependent.
authors.affiliation: Center for Life NanoScience@LaSapienza, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy; CNR ISC UOS Roma Sapienza, Physics Department, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Pietro
authors.affiliation: CNR ISC UOS Roma Sapienza, Physics Department, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy; Enrico Fermi Center, Rome, Italy. Electronic address: silvia.capuani@roma1.infn.it.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Capuani
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Molecular Imaging an Radiotherapy, PTV Foundation "Tor Vergata" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Guglielmo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Manenti
authors.affiliation: Center for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis, Rehabilitation Hospital IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vinicola
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Molecular Imaging an Radiotherapy, PTV Foundation "Tor Vergata" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Armando
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fusco
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, PTV Foundation, "Tor Vergata" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Jacopo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Baldi
authors.affiliation: Anatomic Pathology Section, Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy; "Multidisciplinary Study of the Effects of Microgravity on Bone Cells" Project, Italian Space Agency (ASI), Spatial Biomedicine Center, Via del Politecnico snc, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scimeca
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Biomedical Magnetic Resonance University Hospital Tübingen and High Field Magnetic Resonance, Max-Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Gisela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hagberg
authors.affiliation: Neuroimaging Laboratory, Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bozzali
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Molecular Imaging an Radiotherapy, PTV Foundation "Tor Vergata" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Simonetti
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, PTV Foundation, "Tor Vergata" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Tarantino
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000737:chemistry; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D015519:Bone Density / Q000502:physiology; D001851:Bone Diseases, Metabolic / Q000378:metabolism*; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000737:chemistry*; D002111:Calcaneus / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005272:Femur Neck / Q000378:metabolism; D005990:Glycerol / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis*; D008697:Methane / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000032:analysis; D008875:Middle Aged; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000378:metabolism; D066244:Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D008055:Lipids; C504223:methylene radical; D008697:Methane; D005990:Glycerol
keywords: Osteoporosis; bone marrow; calcaneus; fatty acids; femoral neck; glycerol