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Updated: May 15, 2026
Synovial Fluid Analysis to Identify Osteoarthritis
Published on: October 20, 2022
Identification of osteoarthritis biomarkers by proteomic analysis of synovial fluid
1Cancer Therapy and Research Centre, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan Province, China.
Objective:
To use proteomic analysis to identify novel candidate biomarker proteins in synovial fluid for the differential diagnosis of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Methods:
Synovial fluid samples were analysed using surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS). Data were used to generate an artificial neural network (ANN). The identification of one protein peak was confirmed via Western blotting.
Results:
Fluid samples were analysed from 36 patients with osteoarthritis and 24 with rheumatoid arthritis. In total, three protein peaks (mass-to-charge ratio [m/z] 3893, 10,576 and 14,175 Da) were identified as potential biomarkers for osteoarthritis. The ANN differentiated between osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis with a sensitivity of 89.4% and a specificity of 91.2%. The protein peak at m/z 10 576 was identified as S100 calcium binding protein A12 (S100A12).
Conclusions:
A combination of SELDI-TOF-MS and ANN identified osteoarthritis biomarkers. SELDI-TOF-MS may be a useful tool in the screening of synovial fluid for osteoarthritis diagnosis.