Study Reveals Potential New Test for Early Osteoarthritis Detection

Researchers were able to test for 163 chemical signals "from a single blood sample,” by using the new method called metabolomics. “These chemical signals are intermediate products of the metabolism of human cells and their 26,000 metabolite ratios represent the rate of the chemical reactions in the human body."

“The team studied 123 white women with osteoarthritis of the knee and 299 healthy women. The researchers compared the difference in the metabolites and the 26,000 metabolite ratios between the two groups. They found 14 metabolite ratios were significantly associated with osteoarthritis. The team then tested these signals to see if they were replicated in an independent sample consisting of 76 women with knee arthritis and 100 healthy women. Two ratios — valine to histidine and xleucine to histidine – were successfully confirmed in the replication sample.”

Researcher Dr. Guangju Zhai said, in a press release, the discovery of the two biomarkers is a “hugely exciting area of clinical research.” The two biomarkers “could indicate increased cartilage breakdown,” he said.

Annals of Rheumatic Disease

The study results were published in the journal, .

Scientists have discovered a new method for measuring biological markers in blood, which can be used to diagnose osteoarthritis earlier, according to a public release from King’s College London’s Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology.