Serum CTRP3 Level is Associated with Osteoporosis in Postmenopausal Women

As a novel adipokine, CTRP3 involves in various functions of energy metabolism. Recent advance reveals a complex interaction between bone and adipose tissue via the secretion of adipokines.

A hospital-based case-control study was conducted to investigate the role of serum CTRP3 in osteoporosis among postmenopausal women.

Serum levels of CTRP3 and osteocalcin were measured. Bone mineral density (BMD) was obtained on femoral neck and lumbar spines by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry.

Serum CTRP3 level was lower in subjects with osteoporosis (76.7±22.1 ng/ml) than it in controls (89.4±22.5 ng/ml) (P<0.001). Meanwhile, the frequency of osteoporosis presented a significant decrease (66.4%, 53.9% and 35.9%, P<0.001), in the tertiles of serum CTRP3. Furthermore, serum CTRP3 witnessed an association with a lower risk of osteoporosis (adjusted odds ratio=0.973, 95% confidence interval [0.963-0.983], P<0.001). Lastly, serum CTRP3 level was positively correlated with femoral BMD (r=0.403, P<0.001), lumbar BMD (r=0.368, P<0.001), and HDL-C (r=0.118, P=0.022), among all participants after adjustment. Meanwhile, CTRP3 presented negative correlations with HOMA-IR (r=-0.136, P=0.008) and insulin (r=-0.192, P <0.001).

It shows that a decreased serum level of CTRP3 was independently associated with osteoporosis.