Endocrinol Metab.  2016 Sep;31(3):454-461. 10.3803/EnM.2016.31.3.454.

The Association of Higher Plasma Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor Levels with Lower Bone Mineral Density and Higher Bone Turnover Rate in Postmenopausal Women

• Kim H
• Ahn SH
• Shin C
• Lee SH
• Kim BJ
• Koh JM

• KMID: 2352986
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3803/EnM.2016.31.3.454

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Despite evidence from animal and clinical studies showing the detrimental effects of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) on bone metabolism, there are no clinical studies relating circulating MIF levels to osteoporosis-related phenotypes. This cross-sectional study investigated the association of plasma MIF with bone mineral density (BMD), bone turnover markers (BTMs), and prevalence of osteoporosis in postmenopausal Korean women.
METHODS
A total of 246 women not taking any medications or diagnosed with any diseases that could affect bone metabolism were enrolled. BMD values at the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and total femur, and blood levels of MIF and BTMs were measured in all subjects. Osteoporosis was defined by World Health Organization criteria.
RESULTS
Before and after adjustment for confounding variables, higher MIF levels were significantly associated with lower BMD values at all measured sites and higher levels of all BTMs. All BMD values and BTMs significantly changed in a dose-dependent fashion across increasing MIF quartile. When participants were divided into two groups according to osteoporosis status, postmenopausal women with osteoporosis demonstrated 24.2% higher plasma MIF levels than those without osteoporosis (P=0.041). The odds ratio per each standard deviation increment of MIF levels for prevalent osteoporosis was 1.32 (95% confidence interval, 1.01 to 1.73).
CONCLUSION
This study provides the first epidemiological evidence that higher plasma MIF may be associated with higher risk of osteoporosis resulting from lower bone mass and higher bone turnover rate, and thus it could be a potential biomarker of poor bone health outcomes in postmenopausal women.

Keyword

Macrophage migration-inhibitory factors; Bone density; Bone remodeling; Bone strength; Osteoporosis

MeSH Terms

Animals
Bone Density*
Bone Remodeling*
Confounding Factors (Epidemiology)
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Femur
Femur Neck
Humans
Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors
Macrophages*
Metabolism
Odds Ratio
Osteoporosis
Phenotype
Plasma*
Prevalence
Spine
World Health Organization
Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors