Abstract:
Biochemical markers of bone remodeling have been developed over the past 20 years, which
are more specific for bone tissue than the conventional ones. They have been widely used in
clinical research and in the clinical trials of new therapies as secondary endpoints of
treatment efficacy. Most of the interest has been devoted to their use in postmenopausal
osteoporosis, a condition which is characterized by the subtle modification of bone
metabolism that cannot readily be detected by conventional markers of bone turnover.
Biochemical markers that reflect remodeling and can be measured in blood or urine include
resorption markers (eg: pyridinoline, deoxypyridinoline, collagen cross links) and formation
markers (eg: alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin).
The new bone remodeling markers have been found to be more sensitive in
1) Monitoring bone loss
2) To see the antiresorptive treatment efficacy
3) To predict fracture risk.
