LYMPHOCYTE STUDIES IN RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS .3. COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF THE RESPONSES OF PERIPHERAL-BLOOD AND SYNOVIAL-FLUID LYMPHOCYTES TO PHYTOMITOGENS

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  • 1 January 1979
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 8  (1) , 10-16
Abstract
The response of peripheral blood and synovial fluid lymphocytes to 3 non-specific mitogens was studied. The paired samples were taken from patients with a range of inflammatory arthritis. Unstimulated synovial fluid lymphocytes (SFL) tended to have a greater uptake of tritiated thymidine than had unstimulated peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). This background uptake of tritiated thymidine by SFL showed a positive correlation with the response these SFL then to the mitogens. A significant depression was observed in the SFL response to phytohemagglutinin when compared with the paired PBL response. This was seen in the rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory joint disease groups. SFL responses to concanavalin A and pokeweed mitogen, although depressed in individual cases, failed to show a significant depression. Attempts to restore the SFL response to the paired PBL by removal of any possible blocking substance from the cell surface by pre-incubation of SFL in tissue culture medium or by enzyme treatment were unsuccessful. Cell surface blockers were possibly not the reason for deficient SFL responses, and other factors were involved.