Relationship between Osteoarthritis and Leptin Concentrations in Synovial Fluid

Ku, Jung Hoei; Lee, Choon Key; Cho, Hyung Lae; Joo, Bo Sun; An, Byeong Min; Choi, Seung Hyun; Wang, Tae Hyun

Abstract

PURPOSE: Leptin may play an important role in the pathophysiology of osteoarthritis. This study investigated whether leptin concentration in synovial fluid is related to the radiographic severity of osteoarthritis.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Synovial fluids were obtained from 29 osteoarthritis patients who underwent knee surgery and 10 who had no abnormality on articular cartilage during arthoscopic examination. The progression of osteoarthritis was classified by Kellgren Lawrence grading scale. The concentrations of leptin was measured with commercial enzyme-linked immnosorbent assay kits.
RESULTS
A significant increase in synovial fluid concentrations was observed in osteoarthritis patients (6.7+/-4.1 ng/ml) compared to the control (2.4+/-1.3 ng/ml). Leptin levels were increased with advancing osteoarthritis stage, resulting in the highest level in stage IV patients(10.7+/-4.9 ng/ml; range 4.7-15.8) compared to that of stage I patients (4.0+/-2.0 ng/ml; range 1.2-7.3). In osteoarthritis patients, age showed a significant correlation with leptin concentrations.
CONCLUSION
This study shows that synovial fluid leptin concentrations were closely related to the radiographic severity of osteoarthritis, and suggests that the age of patient may influence synovial fluid leptin concentrations during osteoarthritis progression.