Biomedical Research

Objective: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic progressive lesions caused by multiple factors. Previous finding showed that the expressions of ADAMTS-4, VCAM-1, and TAK1 were increased in the cartilage tissue from OA compared with normal tissue. ADAMTS-4 was positively correlated with TAK1 level. VCAM-1 expression was related to severity of OA. It was found that ADAMTS-4 and VCAM-1 can influence the dynamic balance of ECM, while TAK1 may participate in OA through MAPKs and NF-κB signaling pathways. However, the correlation of their expressions in cartilage tissue from patients with OA is still unclear. This study intends to analyse their correlation in OA cartilage through the detection of expressions in OA and normal cartilage.

Patients and methods: A total of 72 OA patients were enrolled and divided into two groups: severe OA and mild-to-moderate OA groups. Another 22 healthy individuals were selected as normal control. Western blot was applied to detect ADAMTS-4, VCAM-1, and TAK1 expression in cartilage tissue. Their correlations were then analysed.

Results: There were 35 patients in severe group with mean age at 58.64 ± 4.32 y old, while 37 subjects in mild-to-moderate group with average age at 57.32 ± 5.21 y old, the ages of which were no significant different. The levels of ADAMTS-4, VCAM-1, and TAK1 in severe group were obviously higher than that in mild-to-moderate group and normal control. The levels of these three genes presented positive correlation with each other.

Conclusions: The expressions of ADAMTS-4, VCAM-1, and TAK1 were elevated and exhibited positive correlation in cartilage tissues of patients with OA, which provides academic basis for the future biomarkers in the therapy of OA.

Author(s): Xiaodong Yu, Hua Yin, Ning Dong, Huanli Zhao, Qian Li, Jingjun Wei
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