Interrelationships between bone metabolism markers and deciduous teeth and mandible properties in Polish Merino sheep

Abstract

Considering existing similarities of bones and teeth formation and following mineralization, the aim of the study was to evaluate biochemical bone metabolism markers in growing Polish Merino sheep and their relationships with morphometric, densitometric and mechanical properties of deciduous mandibular teeth and mandible. Blood samples were collected from 28-day and 150-day-old sheep to determine serum concentrations of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP), osteocalcin, C-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (CICP), C-terminal telopeptides of type I collagen (CTX-I) and C-terminal telopeptides of type II collagen (CTX-II). Bone and tooth samples were collected from 150-day-old sheep and were evaluated morphologically, densitometrically and mechanically. Serum concentrations of BAP, OC and CTX-II were significantly lower in 150-day-old sheep when compared to the measurements performed 4 months earlier (P < 0.01). Negative correlation between CTX-I and OC concentrations in 150-day-old sheep was stated (P < 0.05). Majority of the significant correlations between tooth properties and serum biochemical bone metabolism indices were found in 28-day-old sheep indicating more intensive odontogenesis process of deciduous teeth than 4 months later. Positive correlations between morphological and densitometric properties of mandible and serum CICP dominated in 28-day-old sheep, while 4 months later CTX-II was the only one marker positively correlated with morphological, densitometric and mechanical properties of mandible (P < 0.05). Evaluation of bone and cartilage metabolism markers in serum may be utilized in further studies on regulation of dental and skeletal metabolism with environmental, physiological, pharmacological, nutritional and toxicological factors influencing mineralized tissue metabolism.