Autocytotoxic cells in rheumatoid synovial fluids.
The possibility that patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) might have autocytotoxic activity in the joints was investigated using a 51Cr release assay. Peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) and synovial fluid (SF) lymphocytes from 9 patients with active RA were tested for cytotoxic activity against autologous PBL stimulated with pokeweed mitogen (PWM). In 5 of 9 patients, lymphocytes isolated from the SF showed cytotoxic activity against autologous PWM-blasts, whereas none of PBL showed autocytotoxic activity. Unstimulated PBL were resistant to lysis by SF cytotoxic cells. The autocytotoxic cells in RA SF may have relevance to immunoregulatory activity in the diseased area.
Sugiyama
E
E
First Department of Internal Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, School of Medicine, Japan.
Suzuki
H
H
Yano
S
S
D000328:Adult; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000276:immunology*; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D005260:Female; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013582:Synovial Fluid / Q000276:immunology*; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*
D006684:HLA-DR Antigens