Figure 5.

Levels of TIMP-1 in synovial fluid of rheumatoid arthritis patients. (a) Inverse correlation between the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-dependent proteolytic activity and the level of proteolytic activity in synovial fluids of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients (r = -0.521, P = 0.046). (b) Correlation between the level of TIMP-1 and the net proteolytic activity (r = 0.592, P = 0.07). (c) Positive correlation between the level of TIMP-1 and the number of infiltrated leukocytes (r = 0.910, P < 0.001). The levels of TIMP-1 in synovial fluids were measured by commercial ELISA. The contribution of MMPs to the proteolytic activity was carried out using the hydroxamate inhibitor II, as described in Figure 4. Each point represents one sample. The correlation was calculated using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient for each test. FASC, fluorescent-activated substrate conversion.