To investigate fucosylation of synovial fluid glycoproteins in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), juvenile arthritis (JIA), gonarthrosis (GA) and reactive arthritis (ReA), referred to traumatized knee (TK).
Synovial fluid glycoproteins were separated by SDS-PAGE and either silver stained or blotted onto nitrocellulose and probed with the fucose-specific Aleuria aurantia lectin. Five bands were chosen for densitometric analysis. Total fucose content and density of fucosylated epitopes were analyzed.
Fucose content was elevated in all patient groups and almost all bands, comparing to TK. The density of fucosylated epitopes was increased in the 42-kDa band of RA and JIA cases, and lowered in the 26-kDa band of RA and JIA, but not in GA. In all RA cases FR 42-kDa > FR 26-kDa. The relation was opposite in 8 out of 9 GA cases.
The density of fucosylated epitopes differs significantly in particular glycoproteins of synovial fluid in joint diseases and may be of potential diagnostic value in differentiating diseases of inflammatory and degenerative origin.