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. 1999 Dec;58(12):727–730. doi: 10.1136/ard.58.12.727

Rheumatoid arthritis: A synovial disease?

K Fujii 1, M Tsuji 1, M Tajima 1
PMCID: PMC1752821  PMID: 10577956

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Figure 1  .

Figure 1  

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Immunohistochemical identification of type II collagen degradation in rheumatoid articular cartilage. Tibial plateau articular cartilage (woman 52 years) taken apart from joint margins were fixed for six hours at 4°C in 2% paraformaldehyde containing 0.075 M lysine and 0.01 M sodium periodate solution, and washed at 4°C with 0.01 M phosphate buffer saline (PBS, pH 7.2) containing glycerol, as previously described by McLean and Nakano.19 Then they were decalcified with EDTA-glycerol solution at −5°C. The samples were embedded in paraffin wax, and immunohistochemical analysis was assessed on the sections using the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex (ABC) immunoperoxidase.20 The cartilage sections were stained with monoclonal antibody against human type II collagen (a) and rat polyclonal antibody against CNBr derived peptides of type II collagen (b). Less staining for type II collagen and intense staining for CNBr derived peptides of type II collagen in the deep zone (DZ) matrix are observed. ((a) Original magnification × 6.6, (b) original magnification × 13.2).

Figure 2  .

Figure 2  

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Immunostaining of sample tissues from RA patients (a-d) and MRL/Mp-lpr/lpr mouse (e). The staining for TRAP was performed according to the method of Burstone.21 Immunostaining was done as described in figure 1, using mouse monoclonal antibody against human CD68 (Dako, Denmark), HLA-DR (Dako, Denmark), and leucocyte T cell (MT1, Bio-science products, Switzerland). (a) Islands (arrows) that invaded into the deep zone of articular cartilage (AC) through the calcified cartilage from the subchondral bone (SB). TRAP positive multinucleated cells (arrowhead); (b) CD68 positive cells; (c) MT-1 positive cells; (d) HLA-DR positive cells in islands and subchondral bone. (e) TRAP positive multinucleated cells (arrows) beneath undamaged AC preceding remarkable inflammation of the synovial membrane (SM). ((a) Original magnification × 13.2, (b) original magnification × 66, (c) to (e) original magnification × 132).

Figure 3  .

Figure 3  

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Macroscopical photograph of slices taken through the femoral head (a frontal section) and tibial plateau (a horizontal section) removed from 27 year old female and 56 year old female RA patients, respectively. (a) Small cystic areas are observed in the subchondral bone of the superior surface of a femoral head. (b) An area of cystic change in subchondral bone of medial tibial plateau. Such cysts (a, b) are seen apart from bare area and in the existence of the overlying articular cartilage (b, cartilage is opposite side of the cyst in the photograph).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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