BackgroundKnee injury and osteoarthritis (OA) are common articular disorders that affect numerous people of different ages, particularly menopausal women. Epidemiological surveys conclude that ladies gain a higher prevalence of OA than men, the menopausal women even get higher morbidity. However, studies about OA animal models suggest that the animals could remain a good joint function regardless of aging and menopause; age and menopause seem to have little effect on joint function. Thus, the study aimed to explore whether age and menopause will influence the clinical recovery of a knee joint in OA and injury women and the relevant mechanism by analyzing the proteome profile of synovial tissue (ST) samples.MethodsThe routine blood test and hormone levels were detected before the surgery. The ST samples of participants were collected during the surgery and 8 ST samples were used for proteome analysis. Just the day before and one month after the surgery, scores of Visual Analogue Score (VAS), Lysholm, The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) were used for assessing the functions of the affected knee. The relationship among proteome data, aging, estrogen level, and affected knee function were analyzed. ResultsAge, menopause and disorders of the knee were related to the clinical outcomes of knee OA and injuries of female patients. Proteome data revealed that the abundance of 174 proteins in old women was statistically different from those of young women. Similarly, compared to the menopausal women, about 120 proteins were significantly changed in the samples taken from premenopausal women. 58 proteins were shown to be insignificant different amounts in ST from knee OA women compared to knee injury ones. The reactions and pathways of these proteins were analyzed and visualized.ConclusionsAge and menopause showed a certain correlation with the protein profile of ST from OA or knee injury female patients, which indicated that the protein components might be affected by age and menopause. Besides, age and menopause also influenced the clinical outcomes of these patients after surgery therapy. Aging and menopause might take part in the regulation of remaining knee joint functions via modeling the ST protein expression.