Observations on the Presence of Rheumatoid Serum Factor in Skin and Other Tissues

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Abstract
Buffered-saline (pH 7.4) extracts of subcutaneous nodules, joint capsules, liver, healthy skin, and tendon obtained from subjects with rheumatoid arthritis agglutinated sensitized sheep cells; similar extracts from the skin and tendon of non-arthritic subjects did not. The blood content of the tissue samples accounted for all or most of the agglutinating activity of liver extracts but not of extracts of the other tissues. It was concluded that significant amounts of rheumatoid serum factor are present in the extra-vascular compartment of all the extracted rheumatoid tissues, except liver; and it is tentatively suggested that skin may be an important site of synthesis of rheumatoid serum factor.