Bone Turnover Markers In Gaucher Disease Patients.

Gaucher Disease (GD) is an autosomal recessive hereditary disorder of glycosphingolipid metabolism, characterized by accumulation of glucosylceramide in cells of the reticulo-endothelial system, due to the deficient activity of the lysosomal enzyme glucocerebrosidase. Bone manifestations are frequent in GD; nevertheless the pathophysiology of skeletal involvement is still not well understood.

to investigate the role of the bone turnover biochemical markers in GD. In particular we evaluated markers involved in bone formation: Osteoprotegerin (OPG), carboxyterminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PICP), osteocalcin (OST) and in bone resorption: receptor activator of nuclear factor (NF)-kb ligand (RANKL), tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP5b).

Bone turnover biochemical markers were evaluated on sera obtained from 5 GD patients and 5 healthy subjects matched for age and sex, by Elisa commercial available kits according to the manufacturers‘ instructions.

In GD patients we observed an increase of RANKL and a significant reduction of OPG, with a consequent significantly lower OPG/RANKL ratio. Despite of higher levels of TRAP5b and lowest levels of PICP in GD compared to healthy subjects the differences did not achieve statistical significance, likely due to the small number of subjects involved in the study. No differences we observed in serum levels of OST compared with controls. Data (means ± DS) are reported in Table 1.

Our data confirm the presence of unbalanced bone turnover in GD patients, characterized by an altered modulation of the OPG/RANKL system (due mainly to reduced expression of OPG, besides increased production of RANKL), an increased resorption phase (TRAP5b) and a decreased neoformation phase (PICP), all of them contributing to skeletal alterations characteristics of these patients.

No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.