Increased production of endothelin-1 in patients with inflammatory arthritides.
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.
Miyasaka
N
N
Department of Immunological Diseases, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan.
Hirata
Y
Y
Ando
K
K
Sato
K
K
Morita
H
H
Shichiri
M
M
Kanno
K
K
Tomita
K
K
Marumo
F
F
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
D016232:Endothelins