Abstract
Synovial fibroblasts from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was tested for the proliferation and the production of IL-6. Synovial tissue was obtained from two or more joints of each patient for culture at radical multiple synovectomy (RaMS) .
The proliferation, determined by 3H-thimidine incorporation and by MTT assay, varies among patients and among joints. Although IL-6 was detected in culture supernatants, IL-6 levels did not correlate with the proliferation of synovial fibroblasts. The proliferation and IL-6 production did not correlate with RA activity nor laboratory findings (erythrocyte sedimentaion ratio, CRP) .
The proliferation of those cells from joints of upper extremities was higher than those from lower extremities. We speculate that the mechanism of cell proliferation is different from the mechanism of IL-6 production in Synovial fibroblasts.
