抄録
In order to identify the standpoint of TNFα in rheumatoid arthritis, we measured concentration of TNFα in serum and joint fluid, and further immunohistochemically examined TNFα-containing cells and their distributions in joint tissues of the patients with rheumatoid arthritis. TNFα concentration in serum and joint fluid was higher than controls, as mentioned by some preceding reports. No good correlation was seen between TNFα and other clinical and laboratory data except for positive correlation between serum TNFa concentration and serum IgG concentration.
There were a variety of cells that contained TNFα in the synovia and pannus of RA, in which osteoclast was the most striking of all cells. Expression of TNFα in the synovial tissues and concentration of TNFα in synovial fluid showed close relationship to the background feature, rather than the grade of lymphocytes aggregation in synovial tissues.
That is to say, the more severe the inflammatory infiltration is, the more highly the TNFα appeares in synovia and joint fluid. Our data, in vivo, suggested that TNFα play an imiportant role for persistance and progression of RA.
