title: Substance P immunoreactive fibers of synovial tissue in patients with anterior cruciate ligament injury.
abstract: Substance P, a neuropeptide, exerts proinflammatory effects and transmits the sensation of pain. Substance P immunoreactive fibers of the synovial tissue were examined to investigate the significance of Substance P in the traumatic joint. Biopsy specimens from 15 patients (eight female and seven male) with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury were examined immunohistochemically with semi-quantitative counting to correlate Substance P positive fibers of the synovial tissue with clinical data, pain intensity on a visual analog scale, and serous inflammatory indicators. The total (sum of the three compartments) expression of Substance P in females of 571.9+/-255.1 cm(-2) was significantly greater than that of males of 241.2+/-126.6 cm(-2). In the female group, the total number of Substance P immunoreactive fibers was significantly correlated with pain intensity (r=0.804); in the male group, there was no significant correlation with pain intensity. The expression of Substance P in the female infrapatellar fat pad was statistically significantly correlated with pre- and postoperative erythrocyte sedimentation rate as inflammation indicators. In the male group, there was no such correlation. Substance P was well- correlated with pain and inflammatory reaction in the female joint. Neural inflammation and neural pain occur more strongly in female joints.
authors.affiliation: Section of Orthopedic Surgery, Graduate School, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, 113-8519, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Muneta
authors.forename: Kazuyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yagishita
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sekiya
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016118:Anterior Cruciate Ligament / Q000276:immunology; D000070598:Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries; D018771:Arthralgia / Q000276:immunology; D015415:Biomarkers; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007718:Knee Injuries / Q000276:immunology*; D007719:Knee Joint; D008297:Male; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000276:immunology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D012737:Sex Factors; D013373:Substance P / Q000276:immunology*; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D013373:Substance P