title: Presence of immunoreactive endothelin in synovial fluid: analysis of 22 cases.
abstract: The endothelins are a family of recently defined active peptides with a wide range of activities, including the activation of the synthesis of prostaglandins. The concentration of endothelin in inflammatory and noninflammatory synovial fluids (SF) was measured by a sensitive radioimmunoassay. Endothelin-like immunoreactivity was detectable in all SF samples and the mean concentration of endothelin was 2.6 +/- 0.3 pg/ml, more than twice that in normal human plasma. The mean level of endothelin in SF in rheumatoid arthritis was 2.5 +/- 0.4 pg/ml (n = 11), and was not statistically different from either osteoarthritis, 3.0 +/- 0.5 pg/ml (n = 7), or acute inflammatory arthritis, 2.0 +/- 0.4 pg/ml (n = 4). Our data do not support the hypothesis that endothelin plays an important role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory arthritis.
authors.affiliation: B. Shine Department of Rheumatology, Rambam Medical Center, H. Schussheim Rheumatology Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Nahir
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hoffman
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lorber
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Keiser
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D016232:Endothelins / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D013582:Synovial Fluid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016232:Endothelins