In postmenopausal osteoporosis the bone increasing effect of monofluorophosphate is not dependent on serum fluoride.
According to previous pharmacokinetic studies the bioavailability of fluorine (F) from sodium monofluorophosphate (MFP) doubles that of sodium fluoride (NaF). This paper reports a study designed to verify whether the vertebral bone mass increasing effect of NaF (30 mg F/day) was comparable to that of MFP (15 mg F/day), given for 18 months to osteoporotic postmenopausal women. The BMD of lumbar vertebrae of both groups showed significant increases (MFP: 60 +/- 15 mg/cm2, NaF: and 71 +/- 12 mg/cm2) over basal levels (P < 0.001). The difference between treatments was not significant (P = 0.532). The serum levels of ionic F (the mitogenic species on osteoblasts) were not related to the above mentioned effects. In NaF-treated patients, the fasting levels of total serum F increased significantly (6.7 +/- 0.9 microM vs. Basal: 2.0 +/- 0.8 microM; P < 0.001). This phenomenon was accounted for by ionic fluoride that increased over 20-fold (6.5 +/- 1.9 microM vs. Basal: 0.3 +/- 0.04 microM). In MFP-treated patients the fasting serum levels of total (7.0 +/- 0.7 microM vs. Basal: 2.2 +/- 0.9 M) and diffusible F (0.5 +/- 0.02 microM vs. Basal 0.2 +/- 0.02 microM) increased significantly (P < 0.001). The increase in the non diffusible F fraction is accounted for by protein-bound F, probably by the complexes formed between MFP and alpha 2-macroglobulin and C3. Serum diffusible F was formed by two fractions: ionic F and F bound to low molecular weight macromolecule/s (2,200 +/- 600 Da), in approximately equal amounts. The general information afforded by the present observations support the hypothesis that ionic F is released progressively during the metabolism of MFP bound to alpha 2-macroglobulin and C3. These phenomena explain why comparable effects to those obtained with 30 mg F/d of NaF could by obtained with one half the dose of MFP.