Synovial TGF-β1 and MMP-3 levels and their correlation with the progression of temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis combined with disc displacement: A preliminary study

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a slow progressing degenerative disease that affects the joints, including the temporomandibular joint. In the present study, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP-3) in synovial fluid (SF) were examined in detecting cartilage synthesis and degradation in progression of temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJ OA) combined with disc displacement (DD) diseases. SF was obtained from 16 patients with TMJ OA combined with DD and 10 normal volunteers. TGF-β1 and MMP-3 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In addition, TMJ OA combined with DD was classified into three stages based on radiographic signs on the preoperative tomograms and surgical findings at operation, and different treatment options were administered according to the stages. SF from TMJs with TMJ OA combined with DD showed higher levels of TGF-β1 and MMP-3 compared with the asymptomatic control TMJs. With the progression of TMJ OA combined with DD, TGF-β1 levels in SF were lower, while MMP-3 levels in SF were significantly higher. In conclusion, these data suggest that MMP-3 is not only involved in the pathological destruction process of TMJ OA combined with DD initially, but also has a positive correlation with the degree of pathological changes. Furthermore, a significant increase of TGF-β1 levels was found in the SF that were able to counteract the deleterious effects of MMP-3 at the early stage of TMJ OA combined DD, providing the scientific basis on repositioning displaced disc as early as possible for these patients.