Expression changes and clinical significance of TLR-4 and IL-1β in serum and knee joint fluid of patients with knee osteoarthritis

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the expression changes and clinical significance of Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in the serum and knee joint fluid in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA).

Methods: From June 2017 to December 2018, 220 cases of patients with KOA who were admitted in Department of Orthopedics of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University (“our hospital” for short) were selected as the observation group. According to the severity of KOA, they were divided into the mild subgroup (n = 98), the moderate subgroup (n = 80) and the severe subgroup (n = 42). In addition, 60 cases of volunteers who received the physical examination in Health Medical Center of our hospital were selected as the control group. The levels of TLR-4 and IL-1β in the serum and knee joint fluid were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, in order to analyze the correlation of TLR-4 and IL-1β levels with the severity of KOA.

Results: The levels of TLR-4 and IL-1β in the serum and knee joint fluid of the observation group were significantly higher than those of the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (all p < .05). The levels of TLR-4 and IL-1β in the serum and knee joint fluid of the severe subgroup were significantly higher than those of the mild subgroup and the moderate subgroup, and the levels of TLR-4 and IL-1β in the serum and knee joint fluid of the moderate subgroup were higher than those of the mild group. The differences were statistically significant (all p < .05). The levels of TLR-4 and IL-1β in the serum and knee joint fluid were positively correlated to the severity of KOA (r = .706, .729, .741, .715, all p < .05); in the serum, the level of TLR-4 was positively correlated to the level of IL-1 (r = .720, p < .05); in the joint fluid, the level of TLR-4 was positively correlated to the level of IL-1 (r = .736, p < .05).

Conclusions: The levels of TLR-4 and IL-1β in the serum and knee joint fluid of KOA patients are abnormally increased, which is closely related with the severity of KOA. It can be used for clinical prediction, diagnosis and treatment of KOA.