AB0832 Serum Levels of Aggrecan Args, Nitege Fragments in Tunisian Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: Clinical, and Radiological Correlation

BackgroundProteolytic degradation of aggrecan is a hallmark of the pathology of osteoarthritis. In this study, we analyzed the markers of degradation aggrecan for the first time in an African osteoarthritis populationObjectivesThe aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the value of new markers of aggrecan degradation (ARGS, NITEGE) fragments and clinical and radiological progression of knee osteoarthritis (OA) in Tunisian population.MethodsWe measured serum levels of ARGSV and NITEGE in 125 women with knee osteoarthritis (mean ± SD age of 53.6±7.6 years, mean ± SD disease duration of 3.6±3.8 years), and 57 women age-matched controls underwent Lyon Schuss X-ray exams. Two experienced readers independently measured the joint space width (JSW) and classified each knee for severity using the Kellgren/Lawrence (KL) scale. We investigated the relationships between these two aggrecan degradations fragments and urinary CTX-II levels. The serum levels of aggrecan ARGS, NITEGE fragments and urinary concentration of CTX-II was measured by a competitive ELISA.ResultsMedian serum ARGSVI (by 18%; p=0.002), and NITEGE (36.4%; p