Serum levels of molecular markers in groups assorted by radiological severity (Kellgren and Lawrence Score)
| Group A (n=77), K/L grade 0 and I | Group B (n=47), K/L grade II and III | Group C (n=24)K/L grade IV | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Markers | Mean (SD) | Median | Mean (SD) | Median | Mean (SD) | Median | J-T | p Value* |
| Coll2-1 (nM) | 140.77 (40.22) | 141.65 | 124.82 (53.34) | 125.18 | 119.47 (38.87) | 117.66 | −2.260 | 0.024 |
| Coll2-1NO2 (nM) | 0.34 (0.13) | 0.35 | 0.34 (0.25) | 0.32 | 0.38 (0.23) | 0.32 | 0.262 | 0.793 |
| Coll2-1NO2/Coll2-1 (nM) | 0.24 (0.09) | 0.23 | 0.24 (0.10) | 0.25 | 0.33 (0.24) | 0.26 | 1.498 | 0.194 |
| C2C (ng/ml) | 101.32 (46.53) | 96.63 | 73.72 (52.88) | 56.21 | 73.09 (42.98) | 60.78 | −2.930 | 0.003† |
| CPII (ng/ml) | 431.83 (223.08) | 440.36 | 378.55 (275.36) | 307.96 | 398.58 (212.59) | 329.47 | −0.979 | 0.328 |
| C2C/CPII (ng/ml) | 0.28 (0.23) | 0.24 | 0.21 (0.08) | 0.19 | 0.18 (0.04) | 0.18 | −3.801 | 0.001† |
| HA (ng/ml) | 47.27 (32.65) | 36.00 | 61.83 (36.92) | 49.00 | 79.79 (45.21) | 62.50 | 4.230 | <0.001† |
| YKL-40 (ng/ml) | 112.68 (101.42) | 75.74 | 74.91 (35.68) | 72.05 | 128.76 (96.10 | 89.51 | 0.234 | 0.815 |
Group A: K/L grade 0 and I; group B: K/L grade II and III; group C: K/L grade IV.
↵* Jonckheere–Terstra (J-T) non-parametric test. J-T, established J-T statistic.
↵† Indicates statistical significance (p<0.01).
C2C, a C-terminal neoepitope generated by the collagenase-mediated cleavage of collagen type II triple helix; Coll2-1, collagen type II (and its nitrated form, Coll2-1NO2); CPII, procollagen type II C-terminal propeptide; HA, hyaluronic acid; YKL-40, cartilage glycoprotein 39.