Abstract
Several mediators released from the synovial cells, synovial lymphocytes, and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) or lymphocytes in synovial fluids of rheumatoid patients were overviewed and the function of the major mediators as proteinase, IL-6 were demonstrated.
In addition, a couple of experiments done in our laboratory were demonstrated. Synovial fluid PMN adhered to the cultured synovial cells and damaged them in both morphologically and making a release of 51Cr from the labelled-synovial cells. A part of the damaging mediators was sensitive to catalase and trypsin inhibitor.
On the other hand, synovial fluid lymphocytes stimulated the synovial cells in showing a colony formation of the synovial cells and also in increasing the 3H-thymidine up take. A part of the stimulating mediators seemed to be interleukin 2. Synovial fluid lymphocytes secreted also factors which could enhance the damaging effects of synovial fluid PMN and a part of the factors was identified as interferon γ.
