Abstract
The interrelationship between metalloproteases and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteases (TIMP) in the articular joint is thought to have an important regulatory role in matrix degradation of articular cartilage. The author investigated immunohistochemically the localization of stromelysin and TIMP in the joint synovium of surgical specimens obtained from rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis patients. Immunostaining was done by the ABC method using a monoclonal antibody against TIMP, stromelysin and macrophage. Intense cytoplasmic staining of TIMP was observed in synovial B-cells of the lining layer. The population of TIMP positive cells in the rheumatoid synovium was larger than that in the osteoarthritic synovium. Double staining against TIMP and stromelysin showed that stromelysin positive cells were more numerous than TIMP positive cells in both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. The results were thought to support the hypothesis that joint destruction is caused by stromelysin dominant enzymatic imbalance in the joint.
