IL6 and osteoarthritis: The purpose of the present study was to investigate if YKL-40 is also a significant factor in osteoarthritis (OA) by assessing associations of YKL-40 with mediators related to the pathogenesis of OA: cartilage destructing matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-17 (IL-17).