Associations of inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers with incident erosive hand osteoarthritis in the Osteoarthritis Initiative Cohort

Authors: MCALINDON, TIMOTHY - Tufts Medical Center; HUNNICUTT, JENNIFER - Tufts University; ROBERTS, MARY - Care New England Medical Group/primary Care And Specialty Services; HAUGEN, IDA - Diakonhjemmet Hospital; SCHAEFER, LENA - Harvard Medical School; DRIBAN, JEFFREY - Tufts Medical Center; LU, BING - University Of Connecticut; DURYEA, JEFFREY - Harvard Medical School; SMITH, STACY - Harvard Medical School; BOOTH, SARAH - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University; PETTY, GAYLE - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University; MATTIESSEN, ALEXANDER - Harvard Medical School; ZENG, LI - Tufts University; EATON, CHARLES - Care New England Medical Group/primary Care And Specialty Services

Submitted to: Osteoarthritis and Cartilage
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/21/2023
Publication Date: 5/15/2024
Citation: Mcalindon, T.E., Hunnicutt, J.L., Roberts, M.B., Haugen, I.K., Schaefer, L.F., Driban, J.B., Lu, B., Duryea, J., Smith, S.E., Booth, S.L., Petty, G., Mattiessen, A., Zeng, L., Eaton, C. 2024. Associations of inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers with incident erosive hand osteoarthritis in the Osteoarthritis Initiative Cohort. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2023.10.011.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2023.10.011

Interpretive Summary: There is a type of hand osteoarthritis that is characterized by inflammation, pain and disability in susceptible osteoarthritic finger joints, but the cause is unknown. To determine if the cause was related to either inflammatory or metabolic processes, in an exploratory study, we followed 86 participants with existing hand arthritis over a period of four years, after which we measured a series of inflammation and metabolic markers. Of all the measures, we identified one pro-inflammatory protein that was associated with the inflammation and tissue damage in susceptible osteoarthritic finger joints. As this was an exploratory study, more research will be needed to determine if this pro-inflammatory protein mediates this damage in finger joints.

Technical Abstract: Objective: Erosive hand osteoarthritis (eHOA) is an endotype that develops in finger joints with pre-existing osteoarthritis and is differentiated by clinical characteristics (hand pain/disability, inflammation, and erosions) that suggest inflammatory or metabolic processes. Design: This was a longitudinal nested case-cohort design among Osteoarthritis Initiative participants who had hand radiographs at baseline and 48-months, and biospecimens collected at baseline. We classified incident radiographic eHOA in individuals with 1 joint with Kellgren-Lawrence of 2 and a central erosion present at 48-months but not at baseline. We used a random representative sample (n=1,282) for comparison. We measured serum biomarkers of inflammation, insulin resistance and dysglycemia, and adipokines using immunoassays and enzymatic colorimetric procedures, blinded to case status. Results: Eighty-six participants developed incident radiographic eHOA. In the multivariate analyses adjusted for age, gender, race, smoking, and BMI, and after adjustment for multiple analyses, incident radiographic eHOA was associated with elevated levels of interleukin-7 (RR per SD = 1.30 [95% CI 1.09, 1.55] p trend 0.01). Conclusions: This exploratory study suggests an association of incident eHOA with elevated interleukin-7, an inflammatory cytokine, but not with other cytokines or biomarkers of metabolic inflammation. Interleukin-7 may mediate inflammation and tissue damage in susceptible osteoarthritic finger joints and participate in erosive progression.