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Assessment of the circulatory concentrations of cathepsin D, cathepsin K, and alpha-1 antitrypsin in patients with knee osteoarthritis

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Abstract

Background

Evidence has shown that cysteine protease enzymes, such as cathepsin D, cathepsin A, cathepsin K, and alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) are involved in the chronic degenerative joint process. This study aimed to determine the potential involvement of cathepsin K, cathepsin D, and AAT in patients with osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods

This study was performed on 31 patients with knee OA and 29 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects (both with Fars ethnicity from Iran). American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria were used to diagnose OA patients. The clinical status of the patients was scored by Western Ontario McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis (WOMAC), and pain intensity was measured by the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The serum level of AAT was measured using high-resolution cellulose acetate electrophoresis. Additionally, serum levels of cathepsin D and cathepsin K were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Results

The findings showed that the serum level of cathepsin K was significantly increased in OA patients compared to healthy subjects (P = 0.01), while there was no significant difference between serum level of cathepsin D in study groups (P = 0.2). In addition, the serum concentration of AAT was significantly decreased in OA patients compared to healthy subjects (P = 0.003). There was a significant correlation between WOMAC score and age (r = 0.644, P = 0.0001) and VAS (r = 0.866, P < 0.0001) in OA patients.

Conclusions

The decreased level of AAT in OA patients and a rise in serum level of cathepsin K are involved in the pathogenesis of OA via stimulation of bone resorption and cartilage degradation.

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Availability of data and material

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Code availability

The software codes used in this study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nervous System Stem Cells Research Center , Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran

    Alireza Khoshdel

  2. Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran

    Alireza Khoshdel

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, Ali-Ibn Abi-Talib Hospital, School of Medicine, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran

    Mohammad Forootan

  4. Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Schoolof Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran

    Mehdi Afsharinasab

  5. Epidemiology and Biostatistics Department, Occupational Environmental Research Center, Rafsanjan Medical School, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran

    Mohsen Rezaian

  6. Molecular Medicine Research Center, Research Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran

    Mitra Abbasifard

Authors
  1. Alireza Khoshdel
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  2. Mohammad Forootan
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  3. Mehdi Afsharinasab
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  4. Mohsen Rezaian
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Contributions

All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Conception and design: MA and AKH. Development of methodology: MA. Acquisition of data (patient interviews, treatment data, and assessments of oncologists): MR, MF. Analysis and interpretation of data: MR. Writing, review, and/or revision of the manuscript: MA. Administrative, technical, or material support: AKH.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mitra Abbasifard.

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Ethics approval and consent to participate

This study was approved by the ethics committee of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants. All procedures performed in this study were in accordance with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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Khoshdel, A., Forootan, M., Afsharinasab, M. et al. Assessment of the circulatory concentrations of cathepsin D, cathepsin K, and alpha-1 antitrypsin in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Ir J Med Sci 192, 1191–1196 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11845-022-03061-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11845-022-03061-3

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