UAB Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Associate Professor Amit Momaya, M.D., published a study evaluating if similar inflammatory gene patterns exist between the synovium, hyaline cartilage, and blood of patients with knee joint tissues, seeing if one precedes the other. The work could help researchers and providers better understand the progression of osteoarthritis, among other conditions.

Published in February in the peer-reviewed, musculoskeletal system journal Cartilage, the study is titled “Is the Synovium the First Responder to Posttraumatic Knee Joint Stress? The Molecular Pathogenesis of Traumatic Cartilage Degeneration.”

Traumatic cartilage degeneration occurs when a sudden traumatic event, such as a sports or fitness injury, disturbs the cartilage surface and causes a weak spot in the cartilage lining of the bone. Once a weak spot has developed, the cartilage can break down over time with the normal forces of daily physical activities.

Momaya and the research team reviewed 58 patients who underwent elective knee arthroscopy due to previously diagnosed knee injuries. Procedures were performed on 31 right and 27 left knees. Twenty-eight patients reported knee trauma, averaging 17 months before surgery. On arthroscopic evaluation, 35 patients were diagnosed with cartilage lesions, whereas the other 23 cases were described as normal cartilage. In addition, 34 patients were identified with a medial meniscus lesion, four had lateral menisci lesions, and another eight had ACL tears.

Full blood samples were collected preoperatively from the synovium and cartilage samples were collected intraoperatively. The total RNA of the blood samples was isolated and tested along with the different gene expressions that are found in tissue samples.

The results show a strong and significant correlation between gene expression in synovial fluid – fluid in the knee joint – and systemic blood cells in the body, indicating a more widespread inflammation response to injury or degeneration. The extent of cartilage damage from the patient’s injury also correlated with the specific blood cell expression found in their blood samples.

These results suggest that the synovial tissue is a first responder to knee joint stress factors, and its reaction correlates with the response of blood cells and overall inflammation. The chondrocyte’s genetic response should be further investigated to explain the genetic program of synovial joints, as an organ, during osteoarthritis development and progression.

To read more about the study and its results, click here.