Comparison of the activities of multinucleated bone-resorbing giant cells derived from CD14-positive cells in the synovial fluids of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis patients.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the morphology and function of multinucleated bone-resorbing giant cells derived from CD14-positive cells in the synovial fluids (SF) of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or osteoarthritis (OA).


METHODS
CD14-positive cells were obtained by magnetic-activated cell sorting of primary cultures of mononuclear cells from the SF. Multinucleated bone-resorbing giant cells were induced from the CD14-positive cells in the presence or absence of cytokines. We examined various characteristics, including osteoclast markers, fusion index and bone-resorption activities of the multinucleated giant cells.


RESULTS
Multinucleated giant cells were induced from the CD14-positive cells in the SF of the RA and OA patients by the addition of interleukin (IL)-3, IL-5 and IL-7, or granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), respectively. These multinucleated giant cells were positive for tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), carbonic anhydrase II, actin, vitronectin receptor and the calcitonin receptor. However, the average values for the number of nuclei, fusion index and bone-resorption functions of the SF cells from the RA patients were significantly higher than those derived from the OA patients.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that the induction and activities of multinucleated bone-resorbing giant cells may play a pivotal role in bone destruction, and that these processes may be enhanced significantly in RA patients.
Takano
H
H
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
Tomita
T
T
Toyosaki-Maeda
T
T
Maeda-Tanimura
M
M
Tsuboi
H
H
Takeuchi
E
E
Kaneko
M
M
Shi
K
K
Takahi
K
K
Myoui
A
A
Yoshikawa
H
H
Takahashi
T
T
Suzuki
R
R
Ochi
T
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D001862:Bone Resorption / Q000473:pathology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016207:Cytokines / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D015726:Giant Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D018950:Lipopolysaccharide Receptors / Q000032:analysis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D013582:Synovial Fluid / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology
D016207:Cytokines; D018950:Lipopolysaccharide Receptors