The relationship between transforming growth factor β superfamily members (GDF11 and BMP4) and lumbar spine bone mineral density in postmenopausal Chinese women.

PURPOSE: The relationship between transforming growth factor β superfamily members (GDF11 and BMP4) and bone metabolism remains controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between serum GDF11 and BMP4 levels and lumbar spine bone mineral density (LBMD) in a cohort of postmenopausal Chinese women.

METHODS

This was a non-prospective cross-sectional study of 350 postmenopausal women with a mean age of 63.13 ± 8.66 years who came from Shenyang, China. LBMD was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Serum GDF11 and BMP4 concentrations were detected using a sandwich enzyme immunoassay kit. Pearson's correlation analysis and regression analyses were carried out to investigate the relationships between LBMD and serum GDF11 and BMP4 levels.

RESULTS

A linear association between LBMD and serum LgGDF11 concentration was observed after adjusting for numerous confounders (P = 0.018). In addition, the osteoporosis (OP) was inversely related to LgGDF11 and the odds ratios for postmenopausal women with lumbar OP in LgGDF11 quartile group 2, group 3, and group 4 were 0.46 (95% CI 0.23-0.90, P < 0.05), 0.41 (95% CI 0.20-0.84, P < 0.05), and 0.30 (95% CI 0.14-0.63, P < 0.01), respectively (P = 0.001 for the trend), when compared to the highest quartile of LgGDF11 after adjustments for many confounding variables in this study.

CONCLUSIONS

This study showed that serum GDF11 levels were linearly related to LBMD, and it was also revealed that serum GDF11 levels were significantly associated with lumbar OP in postmenopausal women. However, serum BMP4 levels were not associated with LBMD and lumbar OP.