Open AccessThere is an Association of Synovial Interleukin-6 Levels With Chondral Damage in Anterior Cruciate Ligament–Deficient Knees
Author(s) -
Ravi Gupta,
Anil Kapoor,
Sourabh Khatri,
Dinesh Sandal,
Gladson David Masih
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
hss journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.016
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1556-3324
pISSN - 1556-3316
DOI - 10.1177/1556331621992006
Subject(s) - medicine , anterior cruciate ligament , osteoarthritis , synovial fluid , orthopedic surgery , rheumatology , articular cartilage damage , interleukin , sports medicine , surgery , gastroenterology , pathology , cytokine , articular cartilage , alternative medicine
Background : Osteoarthritis (OA) in the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)-deficient knee is seen in approximately 50% of affected patients. Possible causes include biochemical or biomechanical changes. Purpose : We sought to study the correlation between inflammatory cytokines and chondral damage in ACL-deficient knees. Methods : Seventy-six male patients who underwent ACL reconstruction were enrolled in a cross-sectional study. Synovial fluid was aspirated before surgery and analyzed for levels of the inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1 (IL-1), and interleukin-6 (IL-6). At the time of ACL reconstruction, the severity of chondral damage was documented as described by the Outerbridge classification. Results : Patients with grade 2 or higher chondral damage were observed to have elevated IL-6 levels when compared to patients who had no chondral damage. Interleukin-6 levels had no correlation with the duration of injury. Conclusion : Elevated levels of IL-6 in synovial fluid were associated with chondral damage in ACL-deficient knees. Further study is warranted to determine whether inflammatory cytokines contribute to the development of OA of the knee after ACL injury.