What Researchers Did
Researchers conducted a scoping review to examine how alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (B-ALP) are used as bone markers in studies involving humans and animals with spinal cord injury (SCI).
What They Found
The review included 42 human studies and 11 animal studies. In human studies, evidence on ALP levels after SCI was conflicting, and only one of three studies found a negative link between B-ALP and bone mineral density. In animal studies, ALP or B-ALP levels sometimes increased after interventions like vibration, curcumin, electromagnetic fields, or hyperbaric chamber exposure, but calcitonin or bisphosphonates had no effect.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For Canadian patients with spinal cord injury, this review highlights the challenges in using alkaline phosphatase (ALP) as a reliable marker for bone health. While bone-specific ALP (B-ALP) shows some promise, its changes can be inconsistent and depend on other treatments. This suggests that monitoring bone health in SCI patients requires careful consideration of various factors beyond just ALP levels.
Canadian Relevance
This study has Canadian relevance as it includes Canadian authors. While spinal cord injury is not a Health Canada-recognized indication for hyperbaric oxygen therapy, the review noted that ALP levels in animal models sometimes increased after hyperbaric chamber exposure.
Study Limitations
A limitation of the existing research highlighted by this review is the inconsistent use of bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (B-ALP) instead of total ALP, leading to conflicting findings across studies.