Serum CTRP3 Level is Associated with Osteoporosis in Postmenopausal Women

Background: 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.

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

Methods: 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.

Results: 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).

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