Interrelationship between bone turnover markers, calciotropic hormones and leptin in obese Saudi children

L.M. Saber, H.N.F. Mahran, H.H. Baghdadi, Z.M.H. Al Hawsawi

Department of Medical Laboratories Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University, Al-Madina Al Mounwara, Kingdom Saudi Arabia. lobnahasan@yahoo.com

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• Metabolism

OBJECTIVE: Fat-bone relationship involves the interaction among endocrine, inflammatory, immune processes and bone turnover. We tried to assess the association between Leptin and bone turnover markers (OCN, β-CTx, ALP), calciotropic hormones PTH and 25(OH)D in obese Saudi children.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study performed with 60 obese children and 36 lean children. For all subjects, OCN, ALP, β-CTx, PTH, 25(OH)D, leptin, Ca and Pi were investigated. Levels of leptin were measured by [ELISA] method, and OCN, β-CTx, PTH and 25-(OH)D by an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay.

RESULTS: Sixty obese Saudi children had means weight (38.3 vs. 13.8 kg), height (121.0 vs. 91.8 cm) leptin (23.04 vs.16.88 ng/ml), PTH (31.5 vs. 14.7 pg/ml), Pi (1.67 vs. 1.54 mmol/l) were significantly higher and 25(OH)D (21.02 vs. 29.45 ng/ml) was significantly lower than controls. There was no difference in serum OCN, β-CTx, ALP and calcium between groups (p > 0.05). In the correlation study, OCN were significantly positively correlated with height, ALP, age, PTH, and β-CTx (r = 0.347, 0.32, p < 0.05), (r = 0.35, 0.51, 0.66, p < 0.01 respectively), while serum 25(OH)D was negatively correlated with PTH, weight, height and BMI (r = -0.45, -0.55, -0.55, -0.47, p < 0.01 respectively). PTH was positively correlated with leptin and β-CTx (r = 0.41, 0.44, p < 0.01), but not to ALP and BMI percentile. β-CTx correlated significantly positive with Pi (r = 0.34 p < 0.05) and ALP with BMI percentile (r = 0.42, p < 0.05). Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that PTH was predicted by leptin and β-CTx (R2 = 0.55); β-CTx by leptin and OCN (R2 = 0.498); OCN by PTH and β-CTx (R2 = 0.47); and 25(OH)D by PTH (R2 = 0.21).

CONCLUSIONS: The obese children had increased levels of leptin and PTH with strong associated with bone turn over markers OCN, β-CTx and deficiency of 25(OH)D which may be playing an important role in the pathogenesis of obesity and related bone metabolic risk diseases as osteoporosis and fractures.

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