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Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are common joint disorders driven by distinct but overlapping pathophysiological mechanisms, including altered bone turnover and oxidative stress. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), an enzyme central to bone mineralization, and malondialdehyde (MDA), a byproduct of lipid peroxidation and marker of oxidative stress, are potential biochemical indicators of disease activity in arthritis. To evaluate and compare serum ALP and MDA levels in patients with OA and RA against healthy controls, and to explore their potential clinical utility as adjunct biomarkers. In this cross-sectional study, 41 female patients (35 with OA, aged 40–70 years, and 6 with RA, aged 20–30 years) attending the orthopedic outpatient department of a local hospital were recruited between June and August 2023, along with 15 age-matched healthy controls. Diagnosis was confirmed by clinical history, physical examination, and radiological assessment. Serum ALP activity was measured by the IFCC/DGKC kinetic p-nitrophenylphosphate method, and serum MDA was quantified by the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay. The mean serum ALP activity was markedly higher in OA/RA patients (109.83 ± 246.88 U/L) than in controls (60.33 ± 36.06 U/L). Similarly, mean serum MDA levels were substantially elevated in patients (230.14 ± 163.89 nM/mL) compared with controls (43.54 ± 28.53 nM/mL). The majority of patients were diagnosed with OA (85.4%), were aged 20–40 years (53.7%), and were managed with medication (90.2%). Both ALP and MDA are elevated in patients with OA and RA relative to healthy individuals, reflecting increased bone turnover and heightened oxidative stress. These findings support the potential value of ALP and MDA as complementary biochemical markers for assessing disease activity, monitoring progression, and evaluating treatment response in arthritis, although their routine clinical adoption will require validation in larger, longitudinal cohorts.