Effects of Hyaluronan Molecular Weight Distribution on The Risk of Knee Osteoarthritis Progression

Hyaluronan molecular weight distribution is associated with the risk of knee osteoarthritis progression

Article specifications

This study was published in 2015 in journal of Osteoarthritis and cartilage (IF 2015: 4.165) by American orthopedics. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between the molecular weight (MW) distributions of hyalorunan (HA) in synovial fluid (SF) and risk of knee osteoarthritis (OA) progression. The 65-knee sample and the 40 index-knee-only sample analyzed in this study. At 3-year follow-up, knees were scored for change in joint space narrowing (JSN), osteophyte (OST) progression, or occurrence of total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The association between HA MW and self-reported baseline knee pain was analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficients.

Results

The study showed that baseline OA pain, and the risk of knee OA progression, are associated with the MW distribution of SF hyalorunan. The use of MW distribution parameters for HA, rather than simple MW averages, provides an important tool for probing the molecular basis of the relationship between HA and OA, and potentially between HA and inflammation. These data suggest that the odds of knee OA progression increases as HA MW distribution shifts lower and highlight the value of reporting MW distribution rather than just average MW values for HA.