While epidemiological studies have reported a potential role for hypercholesterolemia (HCE) in osteoarthritis (OA), the association between HCE and OA has yet to be clarified. Adipose tissue is a primary locus for cholesterol metabolism and the presence of HCE reportedly causes adipose dysfunction. The knee joint contains adipose tissue in the form of the infrapatellar fat pad (IPFP), which has been shown to contribute to the pathophysiology of OA in the knee via the secretion of inflammatory mediators. However, the effect of HCE on the expression of inflammatory mediators in the IPFP has not been elucidated.
IPFP and synovial tissues (ST) were extracted from 145 subjects with OA, diagnosed by radiography, during total knee arthroplasty. OA patients were divided into three groups according to their total cholesterol levels (Desirable, Borderline high and High) based on the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEPATP III). We examined the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES1), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 using real-time polymerase chain reaction and compared results among the Desirable, Borderline high and High groups.
The mRNA expression levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in ST and the IPFP were not significantly different among the three groups. COX-2 mRNA expression in ST and IPFP was likewise not different among the three groups. While the mRNA expression level of mPGES1 in ST was also not significantly different, that of mPGES1 in the IPFP was significantly lower in the High group than in the Desirable and Borderline high groups.
mRNA levels of mPGES-1 are reduced in the IPFP of knee OA patients with HCE. Additional studies are need to clarify the effect of mPGES-1 down-regulation in OA pathology.