Abstract
Synovial cell proliferation and activation is one of the major feature of rheumatoid arthritis, and articular tissue destruction is mediated by a granulation tissue (pannus) composed of macrophage like type A synoviocytes and fibroblast-like type B synoviocytes. Monokines such as IL 1, TNFα, and PDGF produced by type A synoviocytes stimulate the proliferation and activation of type B synoviocytes. We have employed antisense oligonucleotides to inhibit the production of cytokines including IL-1 and TNFα. And the inhibition of synoviocytes growth with vitamine D3 and a site-specific cAMP analogue was studied. Furthermore the regulation of transcription factor including AP-1, CREB and NF-κB in synoviocytes was discussed in this review.
