Cartilage proteoglycans in synovial fluid and serum in patients with inflammatory joint disease. Relation to systemic treatment.

Proteoglycan concentrations in knee joint synovial fluid and in serum from patients with various inflammatory arthritides were studied using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Patients with reactive arthritis, calcium pyrophosphate arthropathy, and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (age less than or equal to 20 years) had the highest synovial fluid concentrations. These values differed significantly (P less than 0.001) from those in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthropathy, and chronic HLA-B27-associated arthropathy. Rheumatoid arthritis patients receiving low-dose prednisolone treatment had higher synovial fluid (P = 0.006) and serum (P less than 0.001) proteoglycan concentrations than did those taking nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs or slow-acting antirheumatic drugs. Serum proteoglycan concentrations were near the detection limits, and did not correlate with levels found in paired samples of knee joint synovial fluid. Patients with calcium pyrophosphate arthropathy had the highest mean serum level of proteoglycan. This assay of proteoglycan antigens is a useful tool in the study of proteoglycan metabolism in patients with joint disease. With its use, differences between disease groups and effects of therapy can be distinguished.