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Correlation between plasma, synovial fluid and articular cartilage Interleukin-18 with radiographic severity in 33 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee

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Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a complex disease characterized by cartilage degeneration, secondary synovial membrane inflammation and subchondral bone changes. In recent years, many studies have confirmed that interleukin-18 (IL-18) is involved in the inflammatory process of inflammatory joint diseases. In the present study, we investigated IL-18 levels in plasma, synovial fluid and articular cartilage of patients with primary knee OA (n = 33) to analyze their relationship with radiographic severity. Compared to healthy controls (n = 15), OA patients had higher plasma and synovial fluid IL-18 concentrations (45.8 ± 22.1 vs. 23.7 ± 13.6 pg/ml, P < 0.001 and 75.2 ± 40.1 vs. 28.3 ± 11.6 pg/ml, P < 0.001) as measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Also, the percentage of immunofluorescent IL-18 positive cells in articular cartilage was significantly increased in OA compared to controls (46.5 ± 10.3 vs. 2.9 ± 1.7, P < 0.001). Moreover, plasma, synovial fluid and articular cartilage IL-18 significantly positively correlated with radiographic severity, respectively (r = 0.663, P < 0.001, r = 0.56, P = 0.001 and r = 0.884, P < 0.001). Subsequent analysis revealed that plasma, synovial fluid and articular cartilage IL-18 levels positively correlated with each other (r = 0.632, P < 0.001, r = 0.489, P = 0.004 and r = 0.620, P < 0.001). These data suggested that plasma, synovial fluid and articular cartilage IL-18 levels were significantly increased in OA patients, and these elevated levels were positively correlated with radiographic severity. Accordingly, our study supports the role of IL-18 in the pathophysiology of OA.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Scientific Foundation of China Grant (No. 81171140), Natural Scientific Foundation of Jiangsu Province Grant (No. BK2009161), Projects of Nantong (BK2011013, BK2012075).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210046, People’s Republic of China

    Youhua Wang & Guicheng Huang

  2. Department of Orthopaedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, People’s Republic of China

    Dawei Xu

  3. Department of Orthopaedics, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, People’s Republic of China

    Long Long, Xiaolong Deng & Ran Tao

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  1. Youhua Wang
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  2. Dawei Xu
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  3. Long Long
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Correspondence to Guicheng Huang.

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Wang, Y., Xu, D., Long, L. et al. Correlation between plasma, synovial fluid and articular cartilage Interleukin-18 with radiographic severity in 33 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. Clin Exp Med 14, 297–304 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10238-013-0251-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10238-013-0251-8

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