MORPHOLOGIC, QUANTITATIVE AND CYTOENZYMOLOGIC STUDIES OF SYNOVIOCYTIC AND MONOCYTIC CELLS IN SYNOVIAL-FLUID

  • 1 January 1984
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 6  (4) , 227-237
Abstract
Mononucleated nonlymphoid cells were studied in knee synovial fluids from patients with osteoarthritis and various inflammatory diseases. The morphologic criteria allowed the identification of subtypes, including phagocytic subtypes, among synoviocytic and monocytic cells in the fluids. The quantitative study showed an important afflux of monocytes and a hyperexfoliation of synoviocytes in the inflammatory diseases. In fluids with intermediate cellularity, the ratio of monocytes to synoviocytes allowed the differential cytodiagnosis between osteoarthrosis and arthritis. All monocytic subtypes were significantly increased in the inflammatory diseases. A lower increase was shown by the synoviocytic subtypes, except the phagocytic one, which was not changed. Giant multinucleated synoviocytes were found in every type of disease and thus do not constitute a cytodiagnostic marker. Alcian blue staining without hyaluronidase treatment showed hyaluronate in only a small percentage of the synoviocytes. Cytoenzymologic study showed that synoviocytes and monocytes were positive for all tested hydrolases (.beta. glucuronidase, acid phosphatase and .alpha. naphthyl acetate esterase), with the reactivities always higher in the synoviocytes. The synoviocytes were always negative with peroxidase, so this reaction can be used as an extra cytologic criterion for the discrimination of mononucleated cells in synovial fluid. There was no significant quantitative difference at the cellular level between osteoarthrosis and arthritides in the reaction to these 4 enzymes. The lysosomal enzymatic activity in both monocytic and synoviocytic cells confirmed their heterophagocytes properties. Synoviocytic heterophagy seems to be a physiologic process, either little or not affected by inflammatory events. Monocytic heterophagy appears to be a major aspect of intrasynovial inflammatory reactions. The question remains as to why, if a large majority of exfoliated synoviocytes comes from type A synovial-lining cells and if they belong to mononuclear phagocytic system, do they so weakly, or not at all, participate as phagocytes in the inflammatory reaction.

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