A Preliminary Study of Serum Osteocalcin in Postmenopausal Women

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.