Introduction
Hip dysplasia is a degenerative disease in which the main consequence is the development of osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis biomarkers contribute to early diagnosis and an accurate monitoring.
Objective
Compare differences in levels of biomarkers in two groups of dogs with and without osteoarthritis.
Methods
Twelve dogs with hip dysplasia and twelve healthy dogs were evaluated. Evaluated biomarkers in plasma included prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), keratan sulfate (KS), collagen type 2 cleavage (C2C), and collagen type 2 propeptide (CP2), by ELISA test, with specific antibodies.
Results
C2C, CP2, and PGE2 plasma concentrations were higher in the no osteoarthritis group (healthy) than in the osteoarthritis group (p<0,05). On the contrary, KS biomarker was lower in the no osteoarthritis group (p<0,05) (Table 1).
Table 1. Plasma biomarker levels in both groups of dogs
|
Biomarker
|
Osteoarthritis (mean±SE)
|
No osteoarthritis (mean±SE)
|
|
C2C
|
128,9158±21,87a
|
215,0964±21,16b
|
|
CP2
|
16,63±1,67a
|
22,7918±1,61b
|
|
PGE2
|
233,195±83,07a
|
502,4982±175,9b
|
|
KS
|
69,7408±2,58a
|
63,7955±1,06b
|
Means with different letters have significant differences by Student's t-test (for independent samples).
Conclusions
Collagen biomarker differences are supported by the fact that in osteoarthritis, degradative actions of collagenases, increase collagen type 2 fragments in synovial fluid rather than blood, and possibly involvement of oxidative stress in the development of osteoarthritis. PGE2 could be decreased in blood due to a local inflammatory response in the joint. KS could be increased in osteoarthritis group due to the increased degradation rate of cartilage proteoglycan.