Carboxylation of osteocalcin may be related to bone quality: a possible mechanism of bone fracture prevention by vitamin K

Vitamin K is essential for the carboxylation of glutamic acid residues, such as osteocalcin. Recent studies have reported that vitamin K reduces vertebral and hip fractures without increasing bone mass in patients with osteoporosis, suggesting that vitamin K could affect bone quality. However, the mechanism is unknown. To investigate the involvement of the carboxylation of osteocalcin in bone quality, the present preliminary study examined serum bone markers and ultrasound velocity, a possible indicator of bone quality, in 14 healthy prepubertal children (eight boys and six girls) aged between 7 and 12 years. Venous blood was collected between 0800 and 0900 h after an overnight fast, and serum levels of intact, carboxylated and undercarboxylated osteocalcin, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase and type I procollagen carboxyl extension peptide were measured. Speed of sound in the right tibia was measured using a SoundScan 2000 Compact (Myriad Ultrasound System, Rehovot, Israel). As a result, there was no significant correlation between the serum bone markers and the Z score for the speed of sound. In contrast, the ratio of serum carboxylated osteocalcin to serum intact osteocalcin was positively correlated with the Z score for the speed of sound (r = 0.621, P = 0.016). These findings suggest, for the first time, that carboxylation of osteocalcin is related to bone quality. Further studies are needed to clarify the role of carboxylation of osteocalcin in bone, and this will provide a new insight into the mechanism of vitamin K treatment in osteoporosis. Received: September 9, 2000 / Accepted: November 30, 2000