Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Juntendo University Shizuoka Hospital, Izunokuni, Shizuoka 410-2295, Japan.
Int J Mol Med. 2012 May;29(5):756-60. doi: 10.3892/ijmm.2012.897. Epub 2012 Jan 26.
Serum undercarboxylated osteocalcin (s-ucOC) is a marker for vitamin K metabolism (deficiency). The aim of this study was to investigate the serum levels of ucOC in patients with bilateral knee osteoarthritis (K-OA), and the correlation between ucOC and other biomarkers for K-OA. A total of 25 patients (22 women, 3 men, mean age 76.0±7.8, range 54-88 years, mean BMI 24.9±4.7) with a Kellgren-Lawrence grade of 3 or 4 for bilateral knee were enrolled in this study. The levels of s-ucOC and other biomarkers were measured. The levels of s-ucOC (5.66±4.70 ng/ml) as well as other cartilage metabolism markers, were elevated in the patients; however, bone metabolism markers were within the normal ranges. Of interest, there was a significant correlation between s-ucOC and serum hyaluronan (a marker for synovitis) (P<0.05). Our findings suggest that vitamin K metabolism may be associated with synovitis in patients with K-OA, and s-ucOC could be a biomarker for K-OA.
血清低羧化骨钙素（s-ucOC）是维生素 K 代谢（缺乏）的标志物。本研究旨在探讨双侧膝关节骨关节炎（K-OA）患者血清 ucOC 水平及其与 K-OA 其他生物标志物的相关性。本研究共纳入 25 例双侧膝关节 Kellgren-Lawrence 分级为 3 或 4 级的患者（22 名女性，3 名男性，平均年龄 76.0±7.8 岁，年龄范围 54-88 岁，平均 BMI 24.9±4.7）。测量了 s-ucOC 和其他生物标志物的水平。患者的 s-ucOC（5.66±4.70ng/ml）及其他软骨代谢标志物水平升高，但骨代谢标志物在正常范围内。值得注意的是，s-ucOC 与血清透明质酸（一种滑膜炎标志物）之间存在显著相关性（P<0.05）。我们的研究结果表明，维生素 K 代谢可能与 K-OA 患者的滑膜炎有关，s-ucOC 可能是 K-OA 的生物标志物。
