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The relationship among serum lipocalin 2, bone turnover markers, and bone mineral density in outpatient women

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Abstract

Purpose

We aimed to investigate associations among serum levels of LCN2, bone resorption marker carboxy-terminal cross-linking telopeptide of type-1 collagen (CTx), bone formation marker osteocalcin (OCN), and bone mineral densities (BMDs) in ambulatory healthy women.

Methods

This cross-sectional study analyzed 1012 previously enrolled outpatient Han Chinese women. BMDs of the lumbar spine and femoral neck were measured using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Serum levels of LCN2, CTx, OCN, and creatinine (Scr) were measured.

Results

Circulating LCN2 was inversely correlated with BMDs at the lumbar spine and femoral neck (Spearman’s r = −0.08, P = 0.010 and r = −0.14, P < 0.001; respectively). A significant positive correlation between LCN2 and CTx (r = 0.11, P < 0.001), OCN (r = 0.06, P = 0.047), age (r = 0.21, P < 0.001), and Scr (r = 0.24, P < 0.001) was also observed. After adjusting for age and Scr, the correlation among LCN2, BMDs and OCN disappeared, but LCN2 was still positively associated with CTx (r = 0.08, P = 0.010). The circulating concentration of LCN2 showed no significant difference between subjects with and without osteoporotic fractures (43.63 (35.29, 53.66) vs. 42.25 (34.43, 51.46) ng/ml, respectively, P = 0.111). Serum CTx concentrations rose with serum LCN2 increasing from the lowest to the highest quartile (P for trend = 0.005), even after adjusting for age and Scr (P for trend = 0.040). In multivariate regression analysis, LCN2 was one of the main determinants for changes in serum CTx (standard β = 0.061, P = 0.005).

Conclusions

In ambulatory healthy women, the relationships among serum LCN2 level, BMDs, and OCN were confounded by age and Scr. Although LCN2 was positively related with CTx, the correlation was very weak and may not be physiologically relevant.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Stavroula Kousteni and Ioanna Mosialou from the Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, USA for their critical comments on this manuscript.

Funding

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 81370977 and 81570796).

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Shanghai Clinical Center for Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Rui-jin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao-tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Shanghai, 200025, China

      Dong-mei Liu, Hong-yan Zhao, Lin Zhao, Min-jia Zhang, Ting-ting Liu, Bei Tao, Li-hao Sun & Jian-min Liu

    2. Department of Rheumatology, ZhongShan Hospital, FuDan University, Shanghai, China

      Dong-mei Liu

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    Dong-mei Liu and Hong-yan Zhao contributed equally to this work.

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    Liu, Dm., Zhao, Hy., Zhao, L. et al. The relationship among serum lipocalin 2, bone turnover markers, and bone mineral density in outpatient women. Endocrine 59, 304–310 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-017-1504-1

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