COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN THE CONCENTRATION OF THE BIOMARKERS IL-1B, IL-6 and TNF-alpha IN SINOVAL FLUID AND THE WOMAC INDEX AS MEASURES OF GRADUATION OF THE STAGE OF OSTEOARTHRITIS

• Grant number: 25/00510-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: March 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Rodrigo Bezerra de Menezes Reiff
• Grantee: Rodrigo Jaccottet Freitas
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA), also known as degenerative joint disease, is a condition that affects a largeportion of the global population. Its prevention is feasible through measures such as maintaininga healthy diet, engaging in physical exercise, and monitoring risk factors. In the early stages ofosteoarthritis (OA), the surface of the cartilage remains intact, but its progression begins withstructural and compositional changes in the extracellular matrix. Some biomarkers have beenproposed as relevant for OA assessment. A few examples are the IL-1B, IL-6 and TNF-¿biomarkers, which are associated with the symptoms of inflammation and pain. Biomarkers canbe measured through synovial fluid analysis. Individuals with osteoarthritis indicated forintraarticular hyaluronic acid application can provide synovial fluid for study through jointpuncture. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMACIndex) is a widely used tool to assess symptoms in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the hipand knee. It covers three dimensions: pain, stiffness, and physical function, with 5, 2, and 17questions, respectively. This study aims to verify the correlation between the WOMAC indexand biomarker levels for osteoarthritis. Thirty individuals with knee osteoarthritis indicated forviscosupplementation therapy will be studied. During the procedure, synovial fluid will bepunctured and sent for analysis using the IMMULITE® 1000 Immunoassay System. Thecorrelation between the WOMAC index results and biomarker values will be determined bySpearman's correlation test. The significance level adopted will be 5%. All analyses will beperformed using JASP 0.17.1 and MedCalc version 20.014.