Heat shock proteins are molecules rapidly produced under conditions of environmental stress, and involve in protecting the cells structural integrity and function. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic destructive disorder of the joints manifested by the ongoing deterioration and loss of articular cartilage. The present study aimed to analyze circulating and synovial heat shock protein (Hsp70) values in knee osteoarthritis patients and healthy controls and to determine their relationship with the radiographic grading of the severity of knee OA.
Seventy-two subjects with knee OA and 30 control participants were recruited. Circulating and joint fluid Hsp70 values were quantified by commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Circulating Hsp70 was markedly higher in knee OA patients compared with that of healthy volunteers (
Circulating and synovial Hsp70 levels were positively correlated with the radiographic severity of knee OA. Hsp70 could represent a potential biochemical marker for predicting the severity and may play a fundamental part in the pathogenic mechanism of knee OA.