BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were to analyse the serum concentrations of clusterin (CLU) in patients with hand osteoarthritis (OA) and in healthy controls, to compare CLU levels between patients with erosive and non-erosive disease, and to examine the association of CLU levels with clinical and laboratory parameters. METHODS: A total of 135 patients with hand OA (81 with erosive and 54 with non-erosive disease) and 53 healthy individuals were included in this study. All patients underwent clinical and hand joint ultrasound examination. The Australian/Canadian (AUSCAN) hand osteoarthritis index, algofunctional index and a visual analogue scale (VAS) for the measurement of pain were assessed. Serum levels of CLU were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: Serum levels of CLU were significantly lower in patients with hand OA than in control subjects (p < 0.0001). In addition, patients with erosive hand OA had significantly lower CLU levels than those with non-erosive disease (p = 0.044). Negative correlations between CLU levels and pain as assessed by the AUSCAN score and the VAS were found in patients with erosive hand OA (r = - 0.275; p = 0.013 and r = - 0.220; p = 0.049, respectively). CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrates that lower concentrations of CLU are found in hand OA patients than in healthy individuals, especially in those with erosive disease, and that CLU concentrations have a negative association with hand pain.

• Keywords
• Clusterin, Erosive osteoarthritis, Hand osteoarthritis,
• MeSH
• Arthralgia blood   diagnostic imaging   physiopathology   MeSH
• Biomarkers blood   MeSH
• Down-Regulation MeSH
• Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay MeSH
• Hand Joints diagnostic imaging   metabolism   physiopathology   MeSH
• Clusterin blood   MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Pain Measurement MeSH
• Osteoarthritis blood   diagnostic imaging   physiopathology   MeSH
• Predictive Value of Tests MeSH
• Cross-Sectional Studies MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Case-Control Studies MeSH
• Ultrasonography MeSH
• Check Tag
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Comparative Study MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Biomarkers MeSH
• CLU protein, human MeSH Browser
• Clusterin MeSH

Hand osteoarthritis (OA) is a common degenerative joint disorder leading to substantial pain and disability. The most severe subtype is erosive hand OA characterized by an abrupt onset, local inflammation, subchondral erosions and worse outcomes than non-erosive disease. Biomarkers of hand OA could help to diagnose the disease earlier, to distinguish patients with erosive and non-erosive forms, to assess disease severity or to predict its future progression. The objective of this review was to summarize the role of potential biomarkers of hand OA. A PubMed search for soluble biomarkers associated with hand OA was performed from inception to June 2017. In total, 21 relevant publications were found and reviewed. These publications identified 20 potential biomarkers of hand OA. C-terminal cross-linking telopeptide of type II collagen, cartilage oligomeric matrix protein, osteocalcin, hyaluronan, urinary pentosidine, vascular cell adhesion molecule 1, monocyte chemotactic protein 1, osteoprotegerin and interleukin 1 have been shown as potential biomarkers for assessing disease severity. C-terminal cross-linking telopeptide of type I collagen, hyaluronan, urinary pentosidine and myeloperoxidase were shown to differentiate between erosive and non-erosive hand OA patients. A number of biomarkers reflecting joint tissue metabolism and inflammation have been studied in hand OA. Some were identified as potential biomarkers of disease severity and progression, others were shown to differentiate between erosive and non-erosive disease. However, further research is necessary to assess the value of biomarkers for use in clinical practice.

• Keywords
• Biomarker, C-terminal cross-linking telopeptide, Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein, Hand osteoarthritis, Hyaluronan,
• MeSH
• Adipokines metabolism   MeSH
• Biomarkers metabolism   MeSH
• Cartilage metabolism   physiopathology   MeSH
• Hand Joints metabolism   physiopathology   MeSH
• Hand Bones metabolism   physiopathology   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Inflammation Mediators metabolism   MeSH
• Obesity metabolism   physiopathology   MeSH
• Osteoarthritis diagnosis   metabolism   physiopathology   MeSH
• Predictive Value of Tests MeSH
• Prognosis MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Adipokines MeSH
• Biomarkers MeSH
• Inflammation Mediators MeSH

The study investigates pentosidine levels, an advanced glycation end-product, in patients with erosive and non-erosive hand osteoarthritis (HOA) and determine its potential association with clinical findings and imaging-defined joint damage.Pentosidine was measured by HPLC in serum and urine of 53 females with HOA (31 erosive and 22 non-erosive HOA) and normalised to the total serum protein or urinary creatinine, respectively. Pain, joint stiffness and disability were assessed by the Australian/Canadian OA hand index (AUSCAN). The hand radiographs scored according to the Kallman grading scale were assessed to determine a baseline value and reassessed after two years.The levels of urine pentosidine, but not of serum pentosidine, were higher in patients with erosive HOA than in non-erosive HOA (p=0.039). Urinary pentosidine correlated with CRP (r=0.302, p=0.031), ESR (r=0.288, p=0.041) and AUSCAN (r=0.408, p=0.003). Serum pentosidine, but not in urine, significantly correlated with the Kallman radiographic score in erosive HOA at the baseline (r=0.409, p=0.022) and after 2 years (r=0.385, p=0.032). However, when corrected for age and disease duration, only correlation between urine pentosidine and AUSCAN remained significant (r=0.397, p=0.004).Our data suggest that serum and urine pentosidine levels may relate to the distinctive clinical and morphological features of HOA.

• Keywords
• Hand osteoarthritis (HOA), biomarker, erosive disease, pentosidine, radiographs.,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH