Markers of bone turnover: biochemical and clinical perspectives

Bone remodelling is a process by which bone grows and turns over. This process involves a series of highly regulated steps that depend on the interaction of two cell lineages, the osteoclasts and the osteoblasts. Information on metabolic activity of bone tissue are achieved with the determination, in blood and in urine, of biochemical products derived from the activity of this cells. The ability to determine bone turnover with biochemical markers has been enhanced considerably in recent years with the development of new assays for more sensitive and specific markers. These new markers can now replace the outdated and non-specific markers of bone remodeling such as serum total alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and urinary hydroxyproline (Hyp) determination. Biochemical markers of bone turnover can be classified according to the process that underlie in markers of bone formation, products of the osteoblast activity [bone ALP, osteocalcin (OC), procollagene I C- and N-terminal propeptides] and markers of bone resorption, products of the osteocalst activity [pyridinuim crosslinks, collagen I C- and N-terminal telopeptides (CTX-I and NTX-I), tartrate resistent acid phosphatase (TRACP) isoform 5b]. The interpretation of laboratory results should always include the consideration of potential sources of variability. Variation in the results of biochemical markers of bone metabolism can compromise their ability to characterize disorders of bone metabolism. Variation can be categorized into pre-analytical, analytical and biological sources. However, the determination of biochemical markers of bone turnover offers many advantages in clinical practice, since they are non-invasive, can be repeated often, and major changes occur in a short time.