Serum and synovial fluid tgf-B1 in knee osteoarthritis

Abstract EN

Hypothesis: This study was carried out to estimate the level of TGF-B1 in both the serum and synovial fluids of patients with primary OA of the knee and to assess the potential usefulness of its measurement as a marker of disease severity against radiographic grading of knee OA.

Methodology: Enzyme-linked immunoassay was used to quantify TGF-B1 in 30 OA patients and 20 healthy individuals.

All patients were subjected to clinical examination.

Plain radiographs were taken for the knees and graded according to Kellgren & Lawrence as well as Thomas et al.

for osteophyte score.

Results: The level of serum TGF-B1 was significantly elevated (p < 0.05) in OA patients than in controls.

TGF-B1 concentrations in the synovial fluid were 7.5 fold higher than in the corresponding serum samples indicating intra-articular production.

Also, there were significant correlations between both serum and synovial TGF-B1 and age of the patients, disease duration, pain severity, x- ray grade and grading of osteophyte score.

Conclusion: These results support the hypothesis that TGF-B1 has a role in the pathogenesis of OA.

Measurement of TGF-B1, either in the serum or in the synovial fluid, was found to be a useful marker that reflected the severity of OA as measured radiologically.