title: Interleukin-2 is found in the synovium of psoriatic arthritis and spondyloarthritis, not in rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: Objective of this project was to determine whether synovial expression of interleukin-2 (IL-2) in arthritis is a disease-specific phenomenon. Immunohistological examination of needle biopsies from 7 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients never exposed to disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), 13 RA patients on DMARDs, 4 patients with seronegative spondyloarthritis (SpA), and 5 psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients. Biopsies were either snap-frozen immediately or cultured for 48 hr, with and without phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) prior to APAAP staining. In snap-frozen biopsies, IL-2 was detected in none of 18 RA samples with significant T cell infiltrates. In contrast, IL-2 was seen in 7/9 PsA/SpA samples. After culture without PHA, IL-2 was detected in 0/14 RA and 5/6 PsA/SpA samples; with PHA, IL-2 was present in 1/14 RA and 2/2 PsA/SPA samples. Synovial IL-2 protein expression appears to distinguish between RA (absent) and PsA/SpA (present). This may reflect a difference in pathophysiology between these diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, General Hospital, Southampton, UK.
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Howell
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Coy
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Cawley
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015535:Arthritis, Psoriatic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2