title: Significance of chondroitin sulfate isomers in the synovial fluid of osteoarthritis patients.
abstract: To test whether chondroitin sulfate (CS) isomers in synovial fluid are related to the radiographic severity of osteoarthritis (OA) and the age and sex, we investigated the concentrations of chondroitin 6-sulfate (C6S) and chondroitin 4-sulfate (C4S) in patients with OA of the knee joint and age-matched healthy controls. Synovial fluid was obtained from 133 patients with OA of the knee and 27 volunteers (controls). Twenty-seven patients were radiographically classified as grade 1, 59 as grade 2, 34 as grade 3, and 13 as grade 4 according to a modified version of the Kellgren and Lawrence scale. Compared with findings in the controls, values for the concentrations of C6S and C4S, and the C6 : C4S ratio, were significantly higher in the grade 1 patients, whereas in grade 3 and 4 patients, the C6S concentration and the C6 : C4S ratio were lower. There was an obvious sex difference, and all values for the women were significantly lower than those for the men in both the control and the patient groups. In the control group, multiple regression analysis showed a moderate inverse correlation between age and all three of the above biochemical variables, and sex was moderately associated with the C6S concentration and the C6S : C4S ratio. In the patient group, age and sex showed a poor correlation with any of the three variables. However, the radiographic severity of OA showed a relatively strong inverse correlation with the C6S concentration and the C6S : C4S ratio, and a weak inverse correlation with the C4S concentration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Nippon Medical School, 1-1-5 Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8602, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Uesaka
authors.forename: Yoshihito
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakayama
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshihara
authors.forename: Hiromoto
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ito
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002809:Chondroitin Sulfates / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007536:Isomerism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000378:metabolism*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013582:Synovial Fluid / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D002809:Chondroitin Sulfates