Annals of the rheumatic diseases
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To determine how acute but transient inflammation affects the cartilage proteoglycan aggrecan and the value of analyses of synovial fluid to study this. ⋯ According to the aggrecan component measured, damage to the matrix of articular cartilage was sometimes reflected by a transient increased extractability and a net loss of aggrecan. There was always an increased release of GAG, and keratan sulphate, and 846 epitopes into synovial fluid. These studies show that changes in aggrecan epitopes and GAG in synovial fluid reflect changes in cartilage metabolism induced by acute transient inflammation.