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Comparison of serum osteocalcin concentration and alkaline phosphatase activity as indicators of bone activity in a foal following surgery.

The vitamin K-dependent protein of bone, osteocalcin or bone Gla protein (BGP), is a specific product of osteoblasts (1). A small fraction of the synthesized osteocalcin does not accumulate in bone, but in shed directly into the circulation. In humans, serum osteocalcin measurements provide a noninvasive specific marker of bone metabolism (2-4). This serum protein is measured by radioimmunoassay, and the bovine antibody used crossreacts with human and equine osteocalcin (5). In equine medicine it is difficult to biochemically evaluate bone metabolism. For instance, many sources contribute to the alkaline phosphatase concentration in blood (6). During the first year of life the fraction of the bone alkaline phosphatase isoenzyme slowly disappears and, in normal animals, only the liver alkaline phosphatase fraction is detected after the first year of life (7). Serum osteocalcin may be a suitable alternative as a biochemical indicator of bone metabolism (8-10). We report herein the serum concentrations of osteocalcin and total alkaline phosphatase activity in a four-month-old female Standardbred foal which had a large proliferative exostosis on the left front leg, compared to those of eight healthy foals of the same breed and age (Table 1). The foal was referred to the Large Animal Clinic of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Saint-Hyacinthe for a growth located on the dorsal and medial aspect of the left third metacarpal bone. Radiography revealed new bone growth. Surgery was performed under geneal anesthesia. A proliferative exostosis approximately 10 cm long by 3 cm wide with a cavity of 1 cm2 and 0.5 cm deep was observed.