Urinary β-1-galactosyl-0-hydroxylysine (GH) as a marker of collagen turnover of bone

Abstract
β-1-galactosyl-0-hydroxylysine (GH) was measured in the urine of 59 women and 48 men, aged 30–79 years, by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) of the dansylated derivative. Vertebral mineral density, measured by quantitative computed tomography (QCT), and urinary GH were inversely correlated (r=−0.74;P<0.001). High rate of bone mineral loss is associated with a high urinary GH excretion. Measurement of GH in urine provides a simple and noninvasive method for the evaluation of the extent of bone resorption in large groups of subjects and appears to be more specific than urinary hydroxyproline excretion.