Interleukin-34 Synovial Fluid Was Associated with Knee Osteoarthritis Severity: A Cross-Sectional Study in Knee Osteoarthritis Patients in Different Radiographic Stages

Background. Inflammation might play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA). Interleukin-34 (IL-34) is a well-known proinflammatory cytokine. Objective. The objective of this study was to detect IL-34 levels in serum and synovial fluid (SF) of patients with OA and to investigate their correlation with radiographic and symptomatic severity. Methods. One hundred and eighty-two OA patients and 69 controls were recruited. IL-34 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Radiographic and symptomatic severity of OA was reflected by Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grades and Western Ontario McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scores, respectively. Results. SF IL-34 levels were independently associated with the KL grade (, 95% CI: 0.150–0.395; ). SF IL-34 levels were significantly correlated with WOMAC scores (, 95% CI: 0.123–0.399; ). The correlation between SF IL-34 levels and WOMAC scores was still significant after adjusting for confounding factors (, 95% CI: 0.001–0.038; ) in OA patients. Conclusions. We found that IL-34 levels in SF were significantly associated with the radiographic and symptomatic severity of knee OA.

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