title: Increased production of endothelin-1 in patients with inflammatory arthritides.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a potent vasoconstrictive peptide, but its precise mechanism of action in vivo has remained unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  We measured ET-1 activity by radioimmunoassay, in both plasma and synovial fluid from patients with inflammatory arthritides.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ET-1-like immunoreactivity was found in synovial fluid, at levels severalfold higher than those in plasma. Reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography showed an elution profile corresponding to actual ET-1. A single class of high-affinity binding sites for ET-1 in cultured synovial cells was also detected. Furthermore, ET-1 induced mild DNA synthesis in synovial cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Taken together, these results indicate that ET-1 might contribute to the synovial proliferation seen in inflammatory arthritides, in an autocrine/paracrine manner.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunological Diseases, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Miyasaka
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hirata
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ando
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shichiri
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kanno
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tomita
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marumo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001168:Arthritis / Q000378:metabolism*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods; D016232:Endothelins / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013582:Synovial Fluid / Q000378:metabolism; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013585:Synovitis / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016232:Endothelins