Serum and urinary markers of types I and III collagen turnover during short-term prednisolone treatment in healthy adults

Abstract

Wolthers OD, Heuck C, Hansen M, Kollerup G. Serum and urinary markers of types I and III collagen turnover during short-term prednisolone treatment in healthy adults. Scand J Clin Lab Invest 1997; 57: 133-140.

During recent years new sensitive serum and urinary makers have been introduced for assessment of collagen turnover. The aim of the present study was to assess whether short-term prednisolone treatment is associated with any adverse effects on serum levels of the type I collagen synthesis marker, the carboxy terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PICP); on the type I collagen degradation marker in serum, the carboxy terminal pyridinoline cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP); on a serum marker of type III collagen synthesis, the aminoterminal propeptide of type III procollagen (PIIINP), or on the type I collagen degradation markers urinary pyridinoline (PYD) and deoxypyridinoline (DPD) concentrations. We studied 12 men and 8 premeno-pausal women aged 19-45 years (mean 31). All subjects were healthy. The design was a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel group study with a 2-day run-in, a 3-day treatment period and a 4-day run-out. During run-in and run-out no medication was given. During the treatment period the subjects took either prednisolone, 40 mg per day, or placebo. Blood and urine were collected at the last day of each period. The intergroup comparisons of run-in treatment values showed that prednisolone suppressed PICP (p<0.001) and PIIINP (p<0.001). PICP levels remained suppressed during run-out, whereas PIIINP returned to pretreatment levels. No prednisolone-induced effects on ICTP or on urinary PYD or DPD were detected by the intergroup comparisons. Short-term prednisolone treatment is associated with suppressive effects on type I and III collagen turnover. Whether serum PICP is more sensitive than urinary PYD and DPD for detection of short-term suppressive effects on type I collagen turnover remains to be further evaluated

Key Words:

• corticosteroids
• deoxypyridinoline
• glucocorticosteroids
• procollagen propeptides
• pyridinoline
• steroids