Association between undercarboxylated osteocalcin, bone mineral density, and metabolic parameters in postmenopausal women

Abstract

Objective: Osteocalcin has been associated with several effects on energy and glucose metabolism. However, the physiological role of undercarboxylated osteocalcin (U-osc; the hormonally active isoform of osteocalcin) is still controversial. To correlate the serum levels of U-osc with bone mineral density (BMD) values and metabolic parameters in postmenopausal women. Subjects and methods: Cross-sectional study including 105 postmenopausal women (age 56.5 ± 6.1 years, body mass index [BMI] 28.2 ± 4.9 kg/m 2) grouped based on the presence of three or less, four, or five criteria of metabolic syndrome according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). The subjects underwent dualenergy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) for the assessment of body composition and BMD and blood tests for the measurement of U-osc and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BSAP) levels. Results: The mean U-osc level was 3.1 ± 3.4 ng/mL (median 2.3 ng/mL, range 0.0-18.4 ng/mL) and the mean BSAP level was 12.9 ± 4.0 ng/mL (median 12.1 ng/mL, range 7.3-24.4 ng/mL). There were no associations between U-osc and BSAP levels with serum metabolic parameters. Lower fasting glucose levels were observed in participants with increased values of U-osc/femoral BMD ratio (3.61 ± 4 ng/mL versus 10.2 ± 1.6 ng/mL, p = 0.036). When the participants were stratified into tertiles according to the U-osc/ femoral BMD and U-osc/lumbar BMD ratios, lower fasting glucose levels correlated with increased ratios (p = 0.029 and p = 0.042, respectively). Conclusion: Based on the ratio of U-osc to BMD, our study demonstrated an association between U-osc and glucose metabolism. However, no association was observed between U-osc and metabolic parameters. The U-osc/BMD ratio is an innovative way to correct the U-osc value for bone mass.

Islet Identity in Transplantation Procedures: The Intersection of Cellular Maturity and Function

“…This observation supports the known effect of OC on insulin secretion and sensitivity, which are both impaired in T2DM [147]. Alterations in uOC levels has been shown in multiple subsequent reports, including in chronic pancreatitis patients [148], in postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome [149], and in a pediatric population with metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance and obesity [150]. Furthermore, there was lower bone turnover, and hence lower serum uOC, in Mexican American men, but not women, with T2DM who had poorer glycemic control [151].…”

Circulating Undercarboxylated Osteocalcin as Estimator of Cardiovascular and Type 2 Diabetes Risk in Metabolic Syndrome Patients

“…Although some studies have linked ucOC levels to the risk of MetS through its relationship with individual cardiovascular risk factors 18,[40][41][42] ; to date, no studies evaluating the role of circulating ucOC as estimator of generalised cardiovascular risk in MetS patients are available. Our results show that ucOC serum levels could be an important estimator affecting cardiovascular risk expressed as CV-ZS, after adjusting by lifestyle and medication-related variables, only in those MetS patients who do not meet T2D criteria.…”

The Relationship between Risk Factors for Metabolic Syndrome and Bone Mineral Density in Menopausal Korean Women

“…However, there was no correlation between MetS and decreased BMD in menopausal women (13–16). However, menopausal women with MetS had a higher T-scores of the femoral neck than those without MetS (17), and BMD was higher in menopausal women with lower HDL-C levels (18).…”