title: Expression and significance of MMP3 in synovium of knee joint at different stage in osteoarthritis patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the expression and significance of MMP-3 in synovium of knee joint at different stage in osteoarthritis (OA) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Knee synovial tissue were collected in 90 OA patients (the OA group). Patients in the OA group was divided into 3 subgroups: grade I subgroup (n=30), grade II subgroup (n=30), grade III; subgroup (n=30). Thirty patients served as control group. Immunohistochemical assay was used to detect the expression of MMP-3 protein in the knee synovial tissue.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MMP-3 protein was detected in all knee synovial tissue. The expression of MMP-3 protein in the OA group was significantly higher that in the normal synovium (P<0.05), and the MMP-3 protein was mainly located in the cytoplasm. There was significant difference in the expression of MMP-3 protein between the grade I subgroup and the grade II, grade III subgroups (all P<0.05). The expression of MMP-3 protein was positively related to the severity of OA (r=0.912, P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The expression of MMP-3 protein are closely related to pathogenic mechanism of OA. It may be an important indicator of early diagnosis and the activity of the disease of osteoarthritis.
authors: Department of Orthopedics, First Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou 310006, Zhejiang, China.
authors: Jun-Jie
authors: JJ
authors: Chen
authors: Department of Orthopedics, First Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou 310006, Zhejiang, China.
authors: Jie-Feng
authors: JF
authors: Huang
authors: Department of Orthopedics, First Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou 310006, Zhejiang, China.
authors: Wen-Xi
authors: WX
authors: Du
authors: Department of Orthopedics, First Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou 310006, Zhejiang, China. Electronic address: Tongpeijian@163.com.
authors: Pei-Jian
authors: PJ
authors: Tong
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000201:enzymology*; D008297:Male; D019278:Matrix Metalloproteinase 3 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000201:enzymology*; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000201:enzymology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: C511768:MMP3 protein, human; D019278:Matrix Metalloproteinase 3
keywords: Immunohistochemical; MMP-3; Osteoarthritis