title: Mast cells in rheumatic disease.
abstract: Rheumatoid Arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease with a complex disease pathogenesis leading to inflammation and destruction of synovial tissue in the joint. Several molecules lead to activation of immune pathways, including autoantibodies, Toll-Like Receptor ligands and cytokines. These pathways can cooperate to create the pro-inflammatory environment that results in tissue destruction. Each of these pathways can activate mast cells, inducing the release of a variety of inflammatory mediators, and in combination can markedly enhance mast cell responses. Mast cell-derived cytokines, chemokines, and proteases have the potential to induce recruitment of other leukocytes able to evoke tissue remodeling or destruction. Likewise, mast cells can secrete a plethora of factors that can contribute to tissue remodeling and fibroblast activation. Although the functional role of mast cells in arthritis pathogenesis in mice is not yet elucidated, the increased numbers of mast cells and mast cell-specific mediators in synovial tissue of rheumatoid arthritis patients suggest that mast cell activation in rheumatoid arthritis may contribute to its pathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, PO Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands. Electronic address: jsuurmond@nshs.edu.
authors.forename: Jolien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Suurmond
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, PO Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands; Division of Biopharmaceutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Einsteinweg 55 2332 RA Leiden, The Netherlands. Electronic address: d.van_der_velden@lumc.nl.
authors.forename: Daniël
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: van der Velden
authors.affiliation: Division of Biopharmaceutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Einsteinweg 55 2332 RA Leiden, The Netherlands. Electronic address: j.kuiper@lacdr.leidenuniv.nl.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kuiper
authors.affiliation: Division of Biopharmaceutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Einsteinweg 55 2332 RA Leiden, The Netherlands. Electronic address: i.bot@lacdr.leidenuniv.nl.
authors.forename: Ilze
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bot
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, PO Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands. Electronic address: r.e.m.toes@lumc.nl.
authors.forename: René E M
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Toes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: Autoantibodies; Chronic inflammation; Cromoglicate lisetil (PubChem CID: 196639); Cromolyn sodium salt (PubChem CID: 16219066); Histamine (PubChem CID: 774); Interleukin-8 (PubChem CID: 44357137); Leukotriene B4 (PubChem CID: 5280492); Mast cells; Rheumatoid arthritis; Salbutamol (PubChem CID: 2083); Toll like receptors