Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Feb 26;22(1):229.
doi: 10.1186/s12891-021-04092-0.

A comparative analysis of NLRP3-related inflammatory mediators in synovial fluid in temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis and internal derangement

Mengying Jia  1   2 , Yaoguang Lv  1   2 , Yingjie Xu  1   2 , Zhongcheng Gong  3   4
Affiliations

A comparative analysis of NLRP3-related inflammatory mediators in synovial fluid in temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis and internal derangement

Mengying Jia et al. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. .

Abstract

Background: The nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome signaling pathway is a highlighted topic in the field of inflammation. However, there is little research on the relationship between the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway and temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJOA). The aim of this study was to examine the expression of inflammatory mediators related to the NLRP3 inflammasome in the synovial fluid of patients with condylar cartilage degeneration and verify the clinical effects of sodium hyaluronic acid (HA) treatment on TMJOA.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with temporomandibular joint internal derangement (TMJID) without condylar defects and TMJOA with condylar defects were divided into two groups. There were thirty patients in each group, and inflammatory mediators related to the NLRP3 inflammasome, including interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), IL-18, NLRP3, and cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase 1 (CASP1), in synovial fluid were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Eighteen patients in the TMJOA group were retested after two HA treatments to evaluate the therapeutic effects of HA.

Results: IL-1β, IL-18, NLRP3 and CASP1 were all positive in the two groups, and TMJOA patients with condylar defects had higher expression of these molecules than TMJID patients (P < 0.05). IL-1β, IL-18, and NLRP3 were decreased after two HA treatments (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in CASP1 after two HA injections (P = 0.549).

Conclusions: The NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathway may be involved in condylar degeneration. HA could reduce some inflammatory molecules to alleviate inflammation.

Keywords: Condylar degeneration; Hyaluronic acid; NLRP3; Temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
CBCT manifestations of TMJOA patients. a: TMJOA with condylar bone defect of surface; b: TMJOA with obvious condylar defect; c: Cystic degeneration in coronal image
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Comparison concentrations of IL-1β, IL-18, NLRP3 and CASP1 between TMJID group and TMJOA group. a: Concentrations of IL-1β, IL-18; b: Concentration of NLRP3; c: Concentration of CASP1. *: P < 0.05, **: P < 0.001
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Concentration changes of IL-1β, IL-18, NLRP3 and CASP1 with twice HA intra-articular injections. a: Concentrations of IL-1β, IL-18; b: Concentration of NLRP3; c: Concentration of CASP1. *: P < 0.05, **: P < 0.001
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Wang XD, Zhang JN, Gan YH, Zhou YH. Current understanding of pathogenesis and treatment of TMJ osteoarthritis. J Dent Res. 2015;94(5):666–673. doi: 10.1177/0022034515574770. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Wang YL, Zhang J, Zhang M, Lu L, Wang X, Guo M, Zhang X, Wang MQ. Cartilage degradation in temporomandibular joint induced by unilateral anterior crossbite prosthesis. Oral Dis. 2014;20(3):301–306. doi: 10.1111/odi.12112. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Wilusz RE, Sanchez-Adams J, Guilak F. The structure and function of the pericellular matrix of articular cartilage. Matrix Biol. 2014;39:25–32. doi: 10.1016/j.matbio.2014.08.009. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. de Paiva Bertoli FM, Bruzamolin CD, de Almeida Kranz GO, Losso EM, Brancher JA, de Souza JF. Anxiety and malocclusion are associated with temporomandibular disorders in adolescents diagnosed by RDC/TMD. A cross-sectional study. J Oral Rehabil. 2018;45(10):747–755. doi: 10.1111/joor.12684. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Yang H, Zhang M, Liu Q, Zhang H, Zhang J, Lu L, Xie M, Chen D, Wang M. Inhibition of Ihh reverses Temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis via a PTH1R signaling dependent mechanism. Int J Mol Sci. 2019;20(15):3797. doi: 10.3390/ijms20153797. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Substances