In vitro peripheral blood and synovial fluid lymphocyte interactions.

Abstract

AbstractIn vitro interaction of autologous peripheral blood and synovial fluid lymphocytes was studied using cells isolated from patients with various forms of arthritis. Addition of mitomycin‐treated peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with inflammatory arthritis to in vitro cultures of autologous synovial fluid lymphocytes caused an increased incorporation of tritiated thymidine by the synovial fluid lymphocytes. However when the reverse situation was tested, no stimulation of peripheral blood lymphocytes by mitomycin‐treated synovial cells was recorded. In some instances synovial fluid lymphocytes were observed to exert an apparent cytotoxic or inhibitory effect on autologous peripheral blood lymphocytes. The latter response pattern was found to occur to a much greater degree with lymphocyte preparations from patients with rheumatoid arthritis than in those with other forms of inflammatory joint disease.