Abstract
Distinct myeloid DC and lymphoid DC subsets have been described, which regulate the nature and magnitude of immune responses. Therefore DC function must be carefully regulated, otherwise inappropriate responses may result in such chronic inflammatory diseases as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In this study the composition and activation state of DC subsets was compared between autologous blood, synovial fluid and synovial tissue of RA patients using 4-colour flow cytometry. Preliminary results indicated that RA blood and normal blood had a similar ratio of DC subsets, both of which exist in a relatively inactivated state. In contrast, myeloid DC were predominant in RA synovial fluid and synovial tissue. In synovial tissue these myeloid DC were more highly activated and localized to lymphoid aggregates. Lymphoid DC were scarce in both synovial fluid and synovial tissue.
Highlights
The presence of autoantibodies directed to citrullinated antigens in serum is highly specific for rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
We discuss the presence of anti-keratin antibodies (AKA) of the IgG class in patients with defined juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)
Our study revealed that AKA was present overall in 18/29 patients (62%) with severe JIA and in 12/26 patients (46,2 %) with non-severe disease, this did not reach statistical significance (P = 0,18)
Summary
The presence of autoantibodies directed to citrullinated antigens in serum is highly specific for RA. Anti-CCP concentrations (expressed in Units per mg total IgG) were on average 1.34 times higher in SF compared to serum (n = 20, P < 0.05) or 1.37 when only positive samples were included (n = 11, P < 0.05) Conclusion: Citrullinated antigens are present in the synovia of both RA and control patients with similar prevalence. At higher concentrations (>1ng/μl) of RNA-oligonucleotides unspecific hybridization-signals prevailed in tissues of all diseases (even in normal controls) The combination of both methods (in situ-hybridization and immunohistochemistry) identifies the single cells inside the synovial lining layer which contains the highly expressed RAB3 “Kreisler” (maf B) gene. Conclusions: These data demonstrates for the first time that statins (and fluvastatin) are able to inhibit an endothelial proadhesive and pro-inflammatory phenotype induced by different stimuli including anti-β2GPI antibodies or pro-inflammatory cytokines These findings suggest a potential usefulness for statins in the prevention of the APS pro-atherothrombotic state
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