An explorative study comparing levels of soluble mediators in control and osteoarthritic synovial fluid

Summary Objective Soluble mediators in synovial fluid (SF) are acknowledged as key players in the pathophysiology of osteoarthritis (OA). However, a wide-spectrum screening of such mediators in SF is currently lacking. In this study, the levels of 47 mediators in the SF of control donors and osteoarthritic (OA) patients were compared. Materials & Methods SF was collected from control donors ( n = 16) and end-stage knee OA patients ( n = 18) and analysed for 47 cytokines, chemokines and growth factors using several multiplex enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). A Mann–Whitney U test was used to determine differences between OA and control controls. A principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to cluster the 47 mediators. Results The majority of the mediators could be detected in both control and OA SF. Interleukin (IL)-6, interferon inducible protein (IP)-10, macrophage derived chemokine (MDC), platelet derived growth factor (PDGF)-AA and regulated on activation normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) levels were found to be higher in OA compared to control SF ( P