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Home / Equine Research Bank / Can J Vet Res / Serum osteocalcin or bone Gla-protein, a biochemical marker ...
Canadian journal of veterinary research = Revue canadienne de recherche veterinaire1990; 54(2); 223-226;

Serum osteocalcin or bone Gla-protein, a biochemical marker for bone metabolism in horses: differences in serum levels with age.

Abstract: Levels of alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin or bone Gla-protein, a new marker of bone metabolism, were analyzed in blood samples of 50 clinically normal female Standardbred horses between four months and twenty years of age. Samples were collected in the morning before exercise. Serum osteocalcin was measured by radioimmunoassay using bovine antibodies. There was a significant inverse correlation between alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin and the age of the animals up to 48 months. The decrease in osteocalcin levels in serum was very marked during the first 30 months of life. The mean osteocalcin concentration was respectively 47.3, 35.7 and 6.7 ng/mL for animals less than one year, between 1.5 and 2.5 years of age and older than 3.5 years. Alkaline phosphatase serum activity was higher in foals less than one year of age (means = 856 U/L) than in the two older groups (meansII = 339, meansIII = 351 U/L). We believe that osteocalcin is a useful parameter for the evaluation of bone metabolism in growing animals and in adults and is probably more specific than alkaline phosphatase.
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Publication Date: 1990-04-01 PubMed ID: 2357658PubMed Central: PMC1255638
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This study investigates the relationship between the age of horses, specifically female Standardbred horses, and the levels of alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin, both markers of bone metabolism. The researchers found a significant inverse correlation between the two biomarkers and the age of the horses up until 48 months.

Study Design and Methodology

  • The study involved a sample of 50 clinically normal female Standardbred horses ranging in age from four months to twenty years.
  • Blood samples from these horses were collected in the morning, before any exercise was performed.
  • Two biochemical markers were analyzed from these blood samples: alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin (or bone Gla-protein), a relatively new marker of bone metabolism.
  • The measurement of serum osteocalcin was performed using a radioimmunoassay with bovine antibodies.

Findings

  • There was a statistically significant inverse correlation between the two markers of bone metabolism (alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin) and the horses’ age, up until the horses were 48 months old.
  • The decrease in serum osteocalcin levels was particularly notable during the first 30 months of the horses’ lives.
  • The average osteocalcin concentrations varied with age, specifically: 47.3 ng/mL in horses under a year old; 35.7 ng/mL in horses between 1.5 and 2.5 years of age; and 6.7 ng/mL in horses older than 3.5 years.
  • The concentration of alkaline phosphatase was notably higher in foals (horses under a year old) with an average of 856 U/L, compared to the two older groups of horses, which averaged around 340-350 U/L.

Conclusion

  • The researchers concluded that osteocalcin is a beneficial parameter for evaluating bone metabolism in both growing animals and adults.
  • This suggests that osteocalcin may be more specific than alkaline phosphatase in assessing bone health and development.

Cite This Article

APA
Lepage OM, Marcoux M, Tremblay A. (1990). Serum osteocalcin or bone Gla-protein, a biochemical marker for bone metabolism in horses: differences in serum levels with age. Can J Vet Res, 54(2), 223-226.

Publication

Canadian journal of veterinary research = Revue canadienne de recherche veterinaire
ISSN: 0830-9000
NlmUniqueID: 8607793
Country: Canada
Language: English
Volume: 54
Issue: 2
Pages: 223-226

Researcher Affiliations

Lepage, O M
  • Département de Médecine, Faculté de Médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada.
Marcoux, M
    Tremblay, A

      MeSH Terms

      • Aging / blood
      • Alkaline Phosphatase / blood
      • Animals
      • Bone and Bones / metabolism
      • Creatinine / blood
      • Female
      • Horses / blood
      • Horses / metabolism
      • Osteocalcin / blood

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      Citations

      This article has been cited 10 times.
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      5. Lepage OM, Marcoux M. Comparison of serum osteocalcin concentration and alkaline phosphatase activity as indicators of bone activity in a foal following surgery. Can Vet J 1991 Apr;32(4):239-40.
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      9. Harbowy RM, Nielsen BD, Colbath AC, Robison CI, Buskirk DD, Logan AA. Effects of Exercise Speed and Circle Diameter on Markers of Bone and Joint Health in Juvenile Sheep as an Equine Model. Animals (Basel) 2025 Feb 2;15(3).
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