The relationship of promoter methylation of calcium voltage-gated channel alpha 1 and interleukin-16 to primary osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVE: Osteoarthritis is the most prevalent joint disease worldwide and the primary cause of musculoskeletal dysfunction. Epigenetic changes in various genes, particularly methylation, have been implicated as possible underlying causes of primary osteoarthritis. The aim of our study was to investigate the promoter methylation status of the calcium voltage-gated channel alpha 1 subunit G (CACNA1G) and interleukin-16 (IL-16) genes, which are strongly associated with calcium channel activity and antigen presentation, respectively, in primary osteoarthritis patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-one patients with primary osteoarthritis and 25 healthy controls were included in our study. The methylation status of CACNA1G and IL-16 genes was analyzed with methylation-specific Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), and the serum levels of IL-16 were determined with Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). RESULTS: The age of the patients was 63.95±8.41 years, and they were 15 females and 6 males. The promoter of the CACNA1G gene was found to be hypermethylated in primary osteoarthritis patients (p<0.001). In contrast, the promoter of the IL-16 gene was found to be hypomethylated compared to the control (p<0.001). The serum levels of IL-16 increased in parallel with the hypomethylated promoter status of IL-16 gene in primary osteoarthritis patients compared to the control (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that the methylation status of CACNA1G and IL-16 gene promoters are epigenetically altered in patients with primary osteoarthritis. Moreover, increased serum IL-16 levels in osteoarthritis patients may be associated with hypomethylation of the IL-16 gene promoter.

The association between knee osteoarthritis and polycystic ovary syndrome in postmenopausal women: preliminary results.

OBJECTIVE: The comorbidity of many risk factors associated with the etiology of osteoarthritis (OA) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is commonly observed. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are no studies in literature on the relationship between PCOS history and knee OA development in postmenopausal women. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 120 postmenopausal women diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis who underwent surgical treatment in our orthopedic clinic and, 80 postmenopausal women who referred to our orthopedic clinic but did not have knee osteoarthritis were randomly included in our study. Body Mass Index (BMI) values, PCOS history and demographic data of the patients in both groups were examined. RESULTS: PCOS was found to be an independent risk factor for OA. PCOS was 2.734 times effective in the development of knee OA, Odd ratio (95% confidence interval) = 2.734 (1.206-6.198) and p-value 0.016. BMI was found to be an independent risk factor for OA. BMI between 25-30 was found to be 2.783 times more effective on knee OA development when compared with BMI<25, Odd Ratio (95% confidence interval) = 2.783 (1.324-5.852) and p-value 0.07. In addition, BMI>30 was found to be 9.237 times more effective on knee OA development when compared with BMI<25, Odd Ratio (95% confidence interval) = 9.237 (3.992-21.374) and p-value <0.001. CONCLUSIONS: The history of PCOS was found to be statistically significantly higher in the knee OA group. BMI and PCOS were found to be independent risk factors in the development of knee OA.