(51) Diseases of the bone and new markers Flashcards
What is the purpose of bone?
- structural support for the body
- protection of vital organs
- blood cell production (bone marrow)
- storage bank for minerals (especially calcium)
What is cortical bone and trabecular bone?
Cortical bone = hard, outer layer
Trabecular bone = spongy, inner layer
What 2 types of cells are associated with bone?
Bone forming cells and bone reabsorbing cells (osteoblasts and osteoclasts)
What is the extracellular component of bone composed of?
- organic matrix = mainly collagen
- inorganic components = hydroxyapatite and minerals (calcium and phosphate)
What is the name for bone before it has mineralised?
Osteoid
Bone matrix is mineralised by what? (to form mature bone tissue)
Hydroxyapatite (calcium-phosphate-hydroxide salt)
Briefly, what do osteoblasts do?
Produce and secrete bone matrix and help with mineralisation
Briefly, what do osteoclasts do?
Absorbs bone tissue during growth and healing
Describe some features of bone as a dynamic tissue
- extracellular matrix
- protein and mineral
- mainly collagen
- constant remodelling
- highly vascular tissue
- metabolically active
What does collagen do?
Provides tensile strength
What are osteoblasts?
Terminally differentiated products of mesenchymal stem cells that make osteoid
What is osteoid?
Non-mineralised organic matrix, consists of mainly type 1 collagen
- prerequisite for mineralisation
What do osteoblasts do?
- make osteoid
- communicate with other bone cells
- make hormones eg. osteocalcin, matrix proteins and alkaline phosphatase
What is the name for osteoblasts that are buried/trapped within the matrix?
Osteocytes
Describe the appearance of osteoclasts
Large and multi-nucleated with a ruffled-resorption border
Where are osteoclasts found?
In bone pits (resorption bays)
What do osteoclasts do?
- break down bone = critical for repair and maintenance of bone
- produce enzymes that are secreted to break down extracellular matrix
- help enhance blood calcium levels
Which enzymes do osteoclasts produce? (secreted to break down extracellular matrix)
Tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and Cathepsin K
Which hormones are osteoclasts regulated by?
PTH, calcitonin and IL-6
RANK ligand and osteoprotegrin do what?
Help with osteoclastic maturation and activity
What are osteocytes?
Trapped/buried osteoblasts
Describe the appearance of osteocytes
Star-shaped
How do osteocytes communicate with each other?
Via cytoplasmic extensions
What are the functions of osteocytes?
- mechanosensory properties
- involved with regulating bone matrix turnover
Describe bone remodelling
Normal bone is in a constant state of turnover caused by resorption by osteoclasts and formation by osteoblasts
How often is the adult skeleton completely replaced?
Every 10 years
Simply, what is osteoporosis?
When there is more bone destruction than there is formation
What are the 4 main stages in the bone cycle?
- resting
- resorption
- osteoid formation
- mineralisation
How is bone mass measured?
Total mass of skeletal calcium in grams
How does bone mass change with age?
Increases from birth until a peak at around 30-40 where it then starts declining
Where is there a steeper decrease in bone mass in women at around the age of 50?
Due to menopause
Why is there a decrease in bone mass with increasing age? A
As there is increased bone resorption but decreased bone formation
What 4 things about bone might you want to investigate?
- gross structure
- bone mass (calcium)
- cellular function/turnover
- microstructure/cellular function
How is bone gross structure investigated?
X-ray
How is bone mass (calcium) investigated?
DEXA
How is bone cellular function/turnover investigated?
Biochemistry
How is bone microstructure/cellular function investigated?
Biopsy, qCT
What are the biochemical markers of bone formation?
Products of active OB:
- alkaline phosphatase (TAP, BAP)
- osteocalcin (OC)
- procollagen type 1 prepeptides (P1NP)
What are the biochemical markers of bone resorption?
Degradation products of bone collagen:
- hydroxyproline
- pyridinium crosslinks
- crosslinked telopeptides of type I collagen (NTX, CTX)
+ osteoclast enzymes
What are the osteoclast enzymes?
- tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRACP 5b)
- cathepsin K
When is alkaline phosphatase measured?
Measured by the lab in LFTs and bone profiles
Specific isoenzymes can be measured where there is diagnostic doubt
In health, what are the alkaline phosphatase levels?
50% liver
50% bone
What is bone alkaline phosphatase involved in?
Mineralisation
What is bone alkaline phosphatase released by?
Osteoblasts
Release of bone alkaline phosphatase is stimulated by increase bone remodelling in…
- childhood/pubertal growth spurt
- fractures
- hyperparathyroidism (primary or secondary)
- Paget’s disease of the bone
What is P1NP?
Procollagen type 1N propeptide
What is P1NP synthesised by?
Osteoblasts
P1NP is the precursor molecule of what?
Type 1 collagen
P1NP levels are affected by what?
- increased with increased osteoblast activity
- decreased by reduced osteoblast activity
- serum concentrations not affected by food intake
- has low diurnal and intraindividual variation
What are collagen cross-links (NTX, CTX)?
Cross-linking molecules which are released with bone resorption
What do collagen cross-links levels correlate with?
Correlate highly with bone resorption
When do collagen cross-links levels change?
- increased in periods of high bone turnover (hyperthyroidism, adolescents, menopause)
- decrease with anti-resorptive therapy
- have diurnal variation
Collagen cross-links levels do not predict what?
Bone mineral density
Collagen cross-links (NTX, CTX) are increased in periods of high bone turnover. Give 3 examples of this
- hyperthyroidism
- adolescents
- menopause
Collagen-related bone markers are based primarily on what?
On type 1 collagen, which is widely distributed in several tissues
Are changes in bone markers disease-specific?
Changes in bone markers are not disease specific, but reflect alterations in skeletal metabolism
Some markers are characterised by significant intra-individual variability
What are the uses of new bone markers?
- evaluation of bone turnover and bone loss
- evaluation of treatment effect
- evaluation of compliance with medication
Bone markers can be used to evaluate treatment effect. Give and example
CTX used to monitor response to anti-resorptive therapy
Bone markers can be used to evaluate compliance with medication. Give 2 examples
- P1NP used to monitor compliance with teriparatide
- CTX used to monitor compliance/response to anti-resorptive therapy
What is teriparatide?
A recombinant form of parathyroid hormone - an effective anabolic (bone growing) agent used in the treatment of some forms of osteoporosis
What do T scores mean?
- 1 and above = normal born density
- 1 to -2.5 = low bone mass (osteopenia)
- 2.5 and below = osteoporosis
What is osteopenia?
When the protein and mineral content of bone tissue is reduced, but less severely than in osteoporosis
Which scan gives you T scores?
DEXA
What are the different types of bone disorders?
- metastatic disease
- hyperparathyroidism
- osteomalacia/Rickets
- osteoporosis
- Paget’s disease
What is osteomalacia?
Softening of the bones, typically through a deficiency of vitamin D or calcium
Why is hyperparathyroidism?
An abnormally high concentration of parathyroid hormone in the blood, resulting in weakening of the bones through loss of calcium.