Department of Biochemistry, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Arch Med Res. 2009 Oct;40(7):590-4. doi: 10.1016/j.arcmed.2009.07.010.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative joint disorder of the synovial joint characterized by loss of articular cartilage, osteophyte formation, and alterations of subchondral bone. The aim of this study was to evaluate endoglin levels in both plasma and synovial fluid of patients with primary knee OA and to determine their relationship with disease severity.
Thirty nine patients with primary knee OA and 15 healthy controls were recruited in this study. The radiographic grading of OA in the knee was performed using the Kellgren and Lawrence classification. Endoglin concentrations in both plasma and synovial fluid were analyzed using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
The average value of plasma endoglin in patients with knee OA was significantly higher compared with that of healthy controls (5.16+/-0.22 vs. 4.43+/-0.3 ng/mL, p=0.03). Although endoglin levels in synovial fluid were higher with respect to paired plasma samples, the difference was not significant (5.41+/-0.32 vs. 5.16+/-0.22 ng/mL, p=0.3). Additionally, plasma endoglin levels exhibited a positive correlation with synovial fluid endoglin levels (r=0.52, p=0.001). Further analysis revealed that plasma endoglin levels significantly correlated with disease severity (r=0.38, p=0.02). Furthermore, the synovial fluid levels of endoglin also positively correlated with disease severity (r=0.55, p=0.001).
These findings indicate that endoglin in plasma and synovial fluid is correlated with progressive joint damage in knee OA. Endoglin is likely to be useful as a biomarker for determining disease severity and may play a possible role in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis.
骨关节炎（OA）是一种慢性退行性关节疾病，以关节软骨丧失、骨赘形成和软骨下骨改变为特征。本研究旨在评估原发性膝关节 OA 患者血浆和滑液中内皮糖蛋白的水平，并确定其与疾病严重程度的关系。
本研究纳入了 39 例原发性膝关节 OA 患者和 15 例健康对照者。膝关节 OA 的放射学分级采用 Kellgren 和 Lawrence 分类法。采用夹心酶联免疫吸附试验分析血浆和滑液中内皮糖蛋白的浓度。
OA 患者的血浆内皮糖蛋白平均水平明显高于健康对照组（5.16±0.22 vs. 4.43±0.3 ng/mL，p=0.03）。尽管滑液中内皮糖蛋白水平高于配对的血浆样本，但差异无统计学意义（5.41±0.32 vs. 5.16±0.22 ng/mL，p=0.3）。此外，血浆内皮糖蛋白水平与滑液内皮糖蛋白水平呈正相关（r=0.52，p=0.001）。进一步分析显示，血浆内皮糖蛋白水平与疾病严重程度显著相关（r=0.38，p=0.02）。此外，滑液中内皮糖蛋白水平也与疾病严重程度呈正相关（r=0.55，p=0.001）。
这些发现表明，血浆和滑液中的内皮糖蛋白与膝关节 OA 进行性关节损伤有关。内皮糖蛋白可能是评估疾病严重程度的有用生物标志物，并可能在骨关节炎的发病机制中发挥作用。
