Dm. Kania et al., ELEVATED PLASMA-LEVELS OF INTERLEUKIN-6 IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN DO NOT CORRELATE WITH BONE-DENSITY, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 43(3), 1995, pp. 236-239
OBJECTIVE: To determine if plasma levels of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) acros
s the lifespan correlate with bone density or plasma osteocalcin. DESI
GN: Cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-five healthy community-
dwelling volunteers aged 25-74 years. Exclusion criteria were smoking,
use of medications known to affect bone metabolism (corticosteroids,
heparin, thyroxine, thiazides, and anticonvulsants), and presence of c
hronic inflammatory disease. MEASUREMENTS: Bone density was measured b
y dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at the femoral neck and lumbar spin
e. Plasma levels of IL-6 and osteocalcin were determined by ELISA and
RIA, respectively. RESULTS: Plasma levels of IL-6 increased with advan
cing age (P < .0001) and correlated with postmenopausal status (P < .0
001). No correlation was observed between plasma IL-6 level and bone m
ineral density at either the lumbar spine or femoral neck, and none wa
s observed with plasma osteocalcin. CONCLUSIONS: The elevation of plas
ma IL-6 observed following menopause is consistent with the proposed i
mportance of estrogen in the regulation of IL-6. These findings do not
provide support for a role of IL-6 in determination of peak bone dens
ity or subsequent development of osteoporosis. However, it is possible
that plasma levels of IL-6 differ from those in the bone microenviron
ment.