Changes of serum IGF-1 and ET-1 levels in patients with osteoporosis and its clinical significance

Objective: To investigate the correlations of levels of serum insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) with cytokines including interleukin (IL)-18, IL-6 and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and bone material density in patients with osteoporosis d.

Methods: Eighty patients with osteoporosis who were treated in our hospital from April 2016 to October 2017 were selected as observation group, and 60 healthy elderly people who received physical examination in our hospital in the same period were selected as control group. The serum levels of IGF-1 and ET-1 were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The bone material density of the lumbar vertebra, tibial neck and Ward’s triangle of every research subject was measured using dual-energy x-rays absorptiometry. The correlations between variables were analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis.

Results: The level of IGF-1 in the observation group was lower than that in the control group, and the level of ET-1 in the observation group was higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). The levels of interleukin (IL)-18, IL-6 and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). Bone mineral density of lumbar vertebra, tibial neck and Ward triangle in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.05); the IGF-1 level of osteoporosis patients was negatively correlated with IL-18, IL-6, hs-CRP levels and positively correlated with bone mineral density; the ET-1 level was positively correlated with IL-18, IL-6, hs-CRP levels and negatively correlated with bone mineral density.

Conclusion: Patients with osteoporosis have decreased level of IGF-1 but increased level of ET-1, and they are closely related to cytokines and bone mineral density and may participate in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis.