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The correlation between circulating growth differentiation factor 11 and the risk of osteopenia/osteoporosis in men

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Abstract

Summary

Our results suggest that the serum GDF11 concentration is significantly associated with the risk of bone metabolism dysfunction in men and may be a useful target for prediction of osteopenia/osteoporosis to enable prompt intervention for this common but invariably under- or misdiagnosed condition in men.

Purpose

Male osteopenia/osteoporosis remains a neglected subject or is under- or misdiagnosed. Many studies have confirmed the role of growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) in bone metabolism, although its role in bone metabolism remains controversial. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between serum GDF11 levels and the prevalence of osteopenia/osteoporosis (OP) in a male cohort and explore the possibility of GDF11 to be a useful target for prediction of osteopenia/osteoporosis to enable prompt intervention for this disease.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 121 native Chinese men randomly aged 20–87 years, excluded the subjects who had the conditions of bone metabolism-related disease and administration of hormonal drugs, and grouped the subjects to OP and non-OP, based on the WHO definition and latest guidelines of OP. The serum GDF11 concentration was determined using a GDF11-specific immunoassay. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b (TRAP-5b) were measured in serum samples with ELISA method.

Results

We observed a negative correlation between serum GDF11 levels and age, a positive correlation between serum GDF11 levels and the femoral neck BMD, and a negative correlation between serum GDF11 levels and TRAP-5b in men. The prevalence and risk of OP were significantly higher in men with low serum GDF11 levels.

Conclusions

The serum GDF11 concentration is significantly associated with the risk of bone metabolism dysfunction and may be a useful target for prediction of OP in male cohort.

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Availability of data and materials

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Funding

This work was supported by the Science and Technology Innovation Fund for Colleges and Universities in Shanxi province [2019L0687 from].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Endocrinology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 88# Jiefang Road, Hangzhou, 310000, Zhejiang, China

    Miaomiao Jin & Pengfei Shan

  2. Department of Endocrinology, The Heji Affiliated Hospital of Changzhi Medical College, 271# East Taihang Street, Changzhi, 046000, Shanxi, China

    Miaomiao Jin, Renjun Cao & Xiaohong Niu

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  1. Miaomiao Jin
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  2. Renjun Cao
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  3. Pengfei Shan
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Contributions

MJ carried out the studies, participated in collecting data, performed the statistical analysis, and drafted the manuscript. XN and PS participated in its design. RC participated in acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Pengfei Shan or Xiaohong Niu.

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Ethics approval

This work has been carried out in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki (2000) of the World Medical Association. The study was approved by the Ethical Committee of Changzhi Medical College, and all participants provided written consent to participate in the study.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Jin, M., Cao, R., Shan, P. et al. The correlation between circulating growth differentiation factor 11 and the risk of osteopenia/osteoporosis in men. Arch Osteoporos 18, 55 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11657-023-01237-7

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