Abstract
Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is a key inflammatory mediator in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) exhibiting internal derangement. In this study, an antibody array was used to study the TNF-α-stimulated protein production profile of synovial fibroblasts. Synovial fibroblasts were prepared using the outgrowth method from the tissues of patients suffering from internal derangement of the TMJ. The synovial cells were stimulated by TNF-α for 4 hours, and the release of chemokines into the supernatant was determined using a human chemokine antibody array. The result of the antibody array indicated that TNF-α had a net stimulatory effect on chemokine levels. A total of seven chemokines were significantly upregulated, and the expression of these genes was analysed by a real-time polymerase chain reaction. Following stimulation with TNF-α for 2, 4, or 8 hours, expression of the seven chemokine genes was upregulated compared with untreated controls. These results suggest that TNF-α-induced chemokine production may be responsible for the inflammation associated with internal derangement of the TMJ.
