A Preliminary Study of Serum Osteocalcin in Postmenopausal Women
K. Gurupadappa
Department of Biochemistry, Shimoga Institute of Medical Science, Shimoga, Karnataka, India.
Geetha Bhaktha
Multidisciplinary Research Unit, Shimoga Institute of Medical Science, Shimoga, Karnataka, India.
S. Prashanth
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Shimoga Institute of Medical Science, Shimoga, Karnataka, India.
B. Manjula
Multidisciplinary Research Unit, Shimoga Institute of Medical Science, Shimoga, Karnataka, India.
D. S. Hemantha Kumara *
Department of Biochemistry, Shimoga Institute of Medical Science, Shimoga, Karnataka, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Osteocalcin is a product of osteoblasts that is considered a marker of bone formation. However, osteocalcin is also released from the bone matrix into the blood during bone resorption, suggesting that osteocalcin is also a marker of bone turnover. Studies on this marker have shown both favoring and contradicting reports about different levels of osteocalcin and Alkaline Phosphate (ALP) among postmenopausal women.
Aim and Objective: To determine the diagnostic use of Osteocalcin and ALP in post-menopausal women and to evaluate the association of osteocalcin in postmenopausal women.
Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with two groups of postmenopausal women. Group I of 10 subjects within first 5 yr after the onset of menopause and Group II of 8 subjects following 5yr or more after the onset of menopause. Serum uncarboxylated Osteocalcin, carboxylated Osteocalcin and ALP were estimated using the ELISA technique.
Results: The serum ALP, carboxylated Osteocalcin(C-OC), uncarboxylated Osteocalcin (Uc-OC) values were higher in post-menopausal < 5years than those in > 5 years. ALP values correlated positively with C-OC but negatively with PM more >5 years(r=0.159: r= -0.369)
Conclusion: Bone turnover gets higher as the years progress among the post-menopausal state which is reflected in ALP, Uc-OC and C-OC. More insight into this state is required to be studied with larger sample size.
Keywords: ALP, bone marker, osteocalcin, postmenopause