Open AccessSynovial fluid antigen‐presenting cell function in rheumatoid arthritis
Author(s) -
VINER N. J.,
GASTON J. S. H.,
BACON P. A.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
clinical & experimental immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.329
H-Index - 135
eISSN - 1365-2249
pISSN - 0009-9104
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2249.1993.tb03388.x
Subject(s) - immunology , synovial fluid , rheumatoid arthritis , medicine , arthritis , antigen , inflammatory arthritis , t cell , antigen presenting cell , pathogenesis , immune system , pathology , osteoarthritis , alternative medicine
SUMMARY We have previously demonstrated enhanced synovial fluid (SF) antigen‐presenting cell (APC) function in inflammatory arthritis patients selected on the basis of marked SF mononuclcar cell (MNC) responsiveness to reactive arthritis‐associated bacteria (Clin Exp Immunol 1990; 79 :189‐94). In this study we have assessed whether similarly enhanced synovial APC function is present in other inflammatory arthritis patients by using two assay systems to study 18 rheumatoid arthritis patients whose MNC responsiveness had not been determined in advance. We demonstrate that rheumatoid SF APC are much more potent than peripheral blood (PB) APC in stimulating the responses of autologous PB T cells to a range of recall antigens. In addition, SF APC are shown to be efficient stimulators of the antigen‐specific responses of MHC‐compatible, cloned T cells. Enhanced synovial APC function is thus likely to be a general feature of inflammatory arthritis and may play an important role in its pathogenesis.