Objectives. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by the chronic inflammation of the synovial joints resulting from the hyperplasia of synovial cells and the infiltration of lymphocytes, macrophages and plasma cells. Currently, the aetiology of RA is not known, and new treatment modalities are needed to prevent the disease progression. Apoptosis induction of synovial cells through the use ...

Intraarticular injection of Synvisc for treatment of knee pain sometimes results in an acute local reaction (flare). We tested the hypothesis that the flare was a Type-1 hypersensitivity reaction as manifested by the presence of Synvisc antibodies in the synovial fluid and serum and by an increase in the concentration of the mast-cell enzyme tryptase in the synovial fluid. Our second objective ...

Lunasin, a peptide with 43 amino acid residues and initially isolated and identified in soybean cotyledon, has gained extensive attention due to its anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. However, its treatment efficacy on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and corresponding mechanisms have not been reported. Herein, the synovial fibroblasts harvested and isolated from patients with RA were treate...

To investigate the mechanisms of action underlying the anti-inflammatory effects of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug aceclofenac in humans, we studied the metabolism of aceclofenac in detail in primary cultured synovial cells of 10 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Aceclofenac and 4'-hydroxyaceclofenac are the major compounds in human blood after the administration of aceclofenac, but ...

Pathological processes involved in the initiation of rheumatoid synovitis remain unclear. We undertook the present study to identify immune and stromal processes that are present soon after the clinical onset of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by assessing a panel of T cell, macrophage, and stromal cell related cytokines and chemokines in the synovial fluid of patients with early synovitis. Synovial ...

OBJECTIVE To find evidence for the presence of endothelial precursor cells, which can induce new vessel formation, in the synovial tissue of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS Precursor cells in the synovial tissue of 18 RA patients and 15 OA patients were identified by immunohistochemistry, morphometric analysis, and confocal laser scanning microscopy us...

In many inflammatory disorders excess iron is found within reticuloendothelial cells. In patients with rheumatoid arthritis the synovial membrane contains an excess of iron (in the form of ferritin) concentrated within the cytoplasm and lysosomes of the type A reticuloendothelial cells.1 The concept that this iron may promote or worsen inflammation is not new. de Duve2 suggested that lysosomes ...

Our objective was to establish the existence of intercellular communication through gap junctions in synovial lining cells and in primary and passaged cultures of human synovial cells. Communication between cells was assessed using the nystatin perforated-patch method, fluorescent dye transfer, immunochemistry, transmission electron microscopy, and immunoblotting. Functional gap junctions were ...

OBJECTIVE To quantify cells expressing mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) markers in synovial membranes from human osteoarthritic (OA) and healthy joints. METHODS Synovial membranes from OA and healthy joints were digested with collagenase and the isolated cells were cultured. Synovial membrane-derived cells were phenotypically characterized for differentiation experiments using flow cytometry to de...

In many inflammatory disorders excess iron is found within reticuloendothelial cells. In patients with rheumatoid arthritis the synovial membrane contains an excess of iron (in the form of ferritin) concentrated within the cytoplasm and lysosomes of the type A reticuloendothelial cells.1 The concept that this iron may promote or worsen inflammation is not new. de Duve2 suggested that lysosomes ...