[Role of interleukin-1-alpha and growth factors in postmenopausal osteoporosis]

This study aims to verify the changes occurring in factors such as interleukin alfa-1 (IL1-alpha) and growth factor (GF1) during surgical menopause, with or without hormone replacement therapy. Forty patients, who underwent hysterectomy, entered this perspective and longitudinal study: in ten out of these forty patients the ovaries were preserved. The remaining thirty patients, whose ovaries were removed, were randomly given either estrogen or estro-progestin therapy or no therapy at all. The IL1-alpha and IGF1 levels, taken a year before, were compared with the levels obtained prior to surgery. No changes in IGF1 levels were observed in women who underwent oophorectomy without further treatment and in those women whose ovaries were preserved. A non significant reduction of IGF1 levels was observed in women treated with estrogens. A significant reduction (p < 0.007) was observed, instead, when estro-progestin administration was employed. No changes of IL1-alpha levels were observed when the ovaries were preserved. This monokyne significantly increased in women who underwent oophorectomy and were not treated. Treatment with estrogens or estro-progestin caused a significant reduction of the IL1-alpha levels (p < 0.0005) (p < 0.0009). These data strongly suggested that chronic or acute estrogenic deprivation does not play a significant role on the circulating IGF1 levels and, consequently, also on GH levels. This significant decrease in IGF1 levels with the addition of EP, in association with an increase of osteocalcin, suggested an active role of osteoblasts during administration. The increase of interleukin 1-alpha, after oophorectomy, was considered to play an important role in menopause osteoporosis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)