Nail Properties and Bone Health: A Review

Area of Science:

• Biophysics
• Biochemistry
• Orthopedics

Background:

• Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is the standard for bone mineral density (BMD) assessment.
• DXA explains only 70% of fractures, highlighting the need for alternative bone health evaluation methods.
• The World Health Organisation advocates for new methods to assess bone health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review methods linking nail properties to bone health.
• To evaluate the potential of nail analysis as an adjunct for assessing bone health and fracture risk.
• To present the strengths and limitations of current studies in this field.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of studies investigating the relationship between nail properties and bone health.
• Analysis of techniques, including Raman spectroscopy, for evaluating protein composition and structure in nails.
• Assessment of physicochemical properties of nail proteins (keratin) and their potential correlation with bone proteins (collagen type I).

Main Results:

• Nail physicochemical properties may correlate with bone health.
• Raman spectroscopy can detect changes in protein composition and structure.
• Post-translational modifications in nail keratin may correlate with those in bone collagen.

Conclusions:

• Nail analysis, particularly using Raman spectroscopy, presents a potential non-invasive method for assessing bone health.
• Further research is needed to validate nail properties as reliable biomarkers for bone health and fracture risk.
• This approach could complement existing methods like DXA for a more comprehensive evaluation of skeletal integrity.