Increased vascular endothelial growth factor expression is associated with cruciate ligament degeneration in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee

• Published in: BMC musculoskeletal disorders 2024-10, Vol.25 (1), p.759-8, Article 759
• Main Authors: Matsubara, Joji, Kumagai, Ken, Ishikawa, Kimi, Choe, Hyonmin, Ike, Hiroyuki, Kobayashi, Naomi, Inaba, Yutaka
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Analysis; Anterior cruciate ligament; Anterior Cruciate Ligament - metabolism; Anterior Cruciate Ligament - pathology; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries - complications; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries - metabolism; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries - pathology; Cruciate ligament; Cruciate ligaments; Degeneration; Degeneration (Pathology); Development and progression; Female; Health aspects; Humans; Knee; Ligaments; Male; Measurement; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Membrane Proteins; Middle Aged; Morphology; Osteoarthritis; Osteoarthritis, Knee - metabolism; Osteoarthritis, Knee - pathology; Pathogenesis; Physiological aspects; Posterior Cruciate Ligament - metabolism; Posterior Cruciate Ligament - pathology; Statistical analysis; Statistics; Tendons; Tenomodulin; Trauma; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A - metabolism
• ISSN: 1471-2474; 1471-2474
• DOI: 10.1186/s12891-024-07886-0

This study aimed to investigate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in cruciate ligaments from patients with osteoarthritis (OA). It was hypothesized that the expression level of VEGF is associated with the extent of degeneration of the cruciate ligaments. Remnants of anterior cruciate ligaments (ACLs) from patients with acute ACL injury due to trauma, and ACLs and posterior cruciate ligaments (PCLs) from patients with primary OA were assessed histologically. Samples were immunohistochemically stained with VEGF and tenomodulin, and immunopositive cells were quantitatively assessed by the histological grades of ligament degeneration. Histological analysis showed significant degeneration of the ACLs from OA patients compared with trauma patients, with increased expression of VEGF correlating with higher grades of degeneration. Conversely, tenomodulin expression was lower in more degenerated cruciate ligaments. The percentage of VEGF-positive cells was correlated inversely with that of tenomodulin-positive cells. Increased VEGF expression is associated with degeneration of cruciate ligaments in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.