CLINICAL, BIOMOLECULAR AND IMMUNOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS

Introduction. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a slowly progressive disorder characterized by a gradual loss of articular cartilage. The OA classification is mainly based on clinical and radiographic evaluations, using the Knee Society Score (AKSS) and the Kellgren and Lawrence (KL) scale. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in frzb, matn3,aspn, pthr2, gdf5 and dvwa genes are involved in OA susceptibility. However, very few studies in Caucasian people describe the association between KL grading scale and genetical alterations. In this study we assessed the associations between KL grade, clinical features,SNPs and inflammatory mediators in Sicilian individuals Methods. We enrolled 66 patients with primary OA, classified into 3 groups: A, B, C (mild, medium and severe OA) using AKSS and KL scale. Human Gene Mutation and dbSNP Short Genetic Variations databases were used to analyze the selected SNPs.The roles of cytokines was analyzed in synovial fluids by Luminex technology Results. In our patients cohort we observed that a mild to severe OA radiographic grade is related to severe clinical conditions and loss of articular function. The severity of symptoms increases with age. A significant association has been observed between KL grading and GDF5 and DVWA, displaying their predictive role as OA marker progression. IL 6/8/10/13 levels were associated with KL grading Conclusions. This work represents a multidisciplinary approach to better define OA grading and progression. Genetic background could have a significant role in the OA pathogenesis. SNPs and biochemical markers could be potentially used as OA progression markers in association with clinical and radiological feature