Researchers have discovered a pair of tissue biomarkers that directly contribute to the joint degeneration associated with spine osteoarthritis, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation Insight.
The study evaluated tissue biopsies from 55 patients undergoing decompression or discectomy. Investigators screened 2,100 microRNAs and found that microRNA-181a-5p and microRNA-4454 biomarkers are involved in destroying cartilage and increase inflammation, and that measuring these two biomarkers can help clinicians determine the stage to which spine osteoarthritis has progressed, and provide a tool for determining the degree of cartilage destruction.