OXIDATIVE STRESS INCIDENCE ON THE SEVERITY OF KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS

Abstract

The aim of the study was to examine the incidence of oxidative stress on the severity of knee osteoarthritis (OA). Data were obtained from a previous pilot controlled trial among patients, diagnosed with OA in one or both knees, that were randomly assigned into two different treatment groups and were either supplemented with ascorbic acid and Vitamin E daily per os or treated with meloxicam. The following markers were estimated: A. Clinical markers: functionality of the knee (WOMAC index), pain (using a pain visual analogue scale) and severity of OA (Kellgren–Lawrence grading scale) B. Laboratory markers: total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and malonyldialdehyde (MDA) levels in the synovial fluid. The TAC of the knees was moderately correlated with the severity of OA and the level of pain whilst MDA concentration was weekly correlated. An average change of 5[Formula: see text]mM of a-tocopherol in TAC (4.6–5.5[Formula: see text]mM of a-tocopherol) defines the shift among stages of OA and the level of pain experienced by the patients. Neither TAC nor MDA were correlated with the Kellgren–Lawrence grading scale. Alleviation of oxidative stress should be a key objective for the therapeutic interventions (pharmacological and nonpharmacological) in knee OA. Even small improvements in antioxidant capacity of the synovial fluid may contribute to the patient’s quality of life and to the deceleration of the disease progression.