Association between SOST gene polymorphisms and response to alendronate treatment in postmenopausal Chinese women with low bone mineral density.

The aim of this study was to explore the allelic association between SOST polymorphisms and the variance of clinical effects of alendronate in postmenopausal Chinese women with osteoporosis or osteopenia. In the study, 500 postmenopausal women in Shanghai area with osteoporosis or osteopenia were included. All participants were treated with weekly oral alendronate 70 mg, daily calcium 600 mg and vitamin D 125 IU for 12 months. Nine tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in SOST gene were genotyped. Bone mineral density of lumbar spine (L1-L4), left femoral neck and total hip were measured at baseline and after 1 year of treatment, respectively. In the study, 450 subjects completed the 1-year follow-up. The rs865429 was significantly associated with the % change of BMD at the femoral neck (P = 0.007). GG carriers seemed to be at an advantage after treatment of alendronate. Compared with AG and AA heterozygote, GG homozygote had the highest % change of BMD (3.100 ± 2.899%) at femoral neck. The odds ratio (95% confidence) of GG homozygote to be responders at femoral neck was 1.921 (1.211-3.048). Two haplotypes GG and AC constituted by rs865429 and rs851057 were associated with the % change of BMD at femoral neck and total hip, respectively. Therefore, the common variation of SOST gene contribute to the therapeutic response to alendronate treatment in Chinese women with osteoporosis or osteopenia.