Expression And Clinical Significance Of Osteoprotegerin In Synovial Fluid Of Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Purpose:To detect the expression of osteoprotegerin(OPG) in synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis(RA), identify the role in RA and to evaluate whether the acute phase protein,such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR),C reactive protein(CRP) or blood platelet (PLT) is associated with the synovial fluid OPG expression.Material and method:The synovial fluid was obtained from 21 patients with RA combined with osteoarthritis(OA) and from 24 patients with primary knee osteoarthritis.Level of OPG in synovial fluid was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). Standard statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 16.0 software.Results:The level of OPG in synovial fluid of RA patients combined with OA group was significantly higher compared with the OA group(P<0.05).The acute phase protein is negatively associated with the expression of OPG in synovial fluid.Conclusion:Based on the results we may suppose that RA synovial fluid compensatory increases the local production of OPG for protecting the joint but ineffectively. There is no relationship between the acute phase protein and the synovial OPG, which suggests that bone resorption could be dissociated from inflammation.