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Arthritis Score (arthritis + score)
Selected AbstractsMonoclonal anti-CD8 therapy induces disease amelioration in the K/BxN mouse model of spontaneous chronic polyarthritisARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 10 2010Bruno R. Raposo Objective CD8+ T cells are part of the T cell pool infiltrating the synovium in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, their role in the pathogenesis of RA has not been fully delineated. Using the K/BxN mouse model of spontaneous chronic arthritis, which shares many similarities with RA, we studied the potential of CD8+ T cell depletion with monoclonal antibodies (mAb) to stop and reverse the progression of experimental arthritis. Methods CD8+ T cells from the blood and articular infiltrate of K/BxN mice were characterized for cell surface phenotypic markers and for cytokine production. Additionally, mice were treated with specific anti-CD8 mAb (YTS105 and YTS169.4), with and without thymectomy. Results CD8+ T cells from the peripheral blood and joints of K/BxN mice were mainly CD69+ and CD62L,CD27+ T cells expressing proinflammatory cytokines (interferon-, [IFN,], tumor necrosis factor , [TNF,], interleukin-17a [IL-17A], and IL-4), and granzyme B. In mice receiving anti-CD8 mAb, the arthritis score improved 5 days after treatment. Recovery of the CD8+ T cells was associated with a new increase in the arthritis score after 20 days. In thymectomized and anti-CD8 mAb,treated mice, the arthritis score improved permanently. Histologic analysis showed an absence of inflammatory infiltrate in the anti-CD8 mAb,treated mice. In anti-CD8 mAb,treated mice, the serologic levels of TNF,, IFN,, IL-6, and IL-5 normalized. The levels of the disease-related anti,glucose-6-phosphate isomerase antibodies did not change. Conclusion These results indicate that synovial activated effector CD8+ T cells locally synthesize proinflammatory cytokines (IFN,, TNF,, IL-17, IL-6) and granzyme B in the arthritic joint, thus playing a pivotal role in maintaining chronic synovitis in the K/BxN mouse model of arthritis. [source] The programmed death 1/programmed death ligand 1 inhibitory pathway is up-regulated in rheumatoid synovium and regulates peripheral T cell responses in human and murine arthritisARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 7 2010Amalia P. Raptopoulou Objective T cells play a major role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The programmed death 1 (PD-1)/programmed death ligand 1 (PDL-1) pathway is involved in peripheral tolerance through inhibition of T cells at the level of synovial tissue. The aim of this study was to examine the role of PD-1/PDL-1 in the regulation of human and murine RA. Methods In synovial tissue and synovial fluid (SF) mononuclear cells from patients with RA, expression of PD-1/PDL-1 was examined by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry, while PD-1 function was assessed in RA peripheral blood (PB) T cells after stimulation of the cells with anti-CD3 and PDL-1.Fc to crosslink PD-1. Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) was induced in PD-1,/, C57BL/6 mice, and recombinant PDL-1.Fc was injected intraperitoneally to activate PD-1 in vivo. Results RA synovium and RA SF were enriched with PD-1+ T cells (mean ± SEM 24 ± 5% versus 4 ± 1% in osteoarthritis samples; P = 0.003) and enriched with PDL-1+ monocyte/macrophages. PD-1 crosslinking inhibited both T cell proliferation and production of interferon-, (IFN,) in RA patients; PB T cells incubated with RA SF, as well as SF T cells from patients with active RA, exhibited reduced PD-1,mediated inhibition of T cell proliferation at suboptimal, but not optimal, concentrations of PDL-1.Fc. PD-1,/, mice demonstrated increased incidence of CIA (73% versus 36% in wild-type mice; P < 0.05) and greater severity of CIA (mean maximum arthritis score 5.0 versus 2.3 in wild-type mice; P = 0.040), and this was associated with enhanced T cell proliferation and increased production of cytokines (IFN, and interleukin-17) in response to type II collagen. PDL-1.Fc treatment ameliorated the severity of CIA and reduced T cell responses. Conclusion The negative costimulatory PD-1/PDL-1 pathway regulates peripheral T cell responses in both human and murine RA. PD-1/PDL-1 in rheumatoid synovium may represent an additional target for immunomodulatory therapy in RA. [source] Long-term anti-arthritic and anti-osteoporotic effects of raloxifene in established experimental postmenopausal polyarthritisCLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 3 2008C. Jochems Summary Both oestrogen deficiency and the inflammatory disease contribute to the generalized bone loss seen in postmenopausal rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Oestradiol and the selective oestrogen receptor modulator raloxifene have been shown to ameliorate the disease in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), a well-established animal model for human RA. The aim of this study was to investigate whether raloxifene-treatment would be beneficial in long-term treatment of established CIA, both regarding anti-arthritic and anti-osteoporotic properties. Female dilute brown agouti mice were ovariectomized and CIA was induced. Raloxifene or vehicle treatment was administered 5 days per week, and the clinical arthritis score was evaluated continuously. At termination, bone mineral density was analysed, paws were collected for histological examination and sera were analysed for markers of bone and cartilage turnover, as well as antibodies to type II collagen and levels of interleukin (IL)-6. Treatment with raloxifene is beneficial in long-term treatment of established CIA. It hampers the disease severity and frequency, protects the joints from destruction and protects against the development of osteoporosis. The proinflammatory cytokine IL-6 was down-regulated in raloxifene-treated mice compared with controls. The serum levels of antibodies to collagen were not affected by raloxifene-treatment. Long-term treatment with raloxifene has both anti-arthritic and anti-osteoporotic effects in established experimental postmenopausal polyarthritis. [source] Amelioration of collagen-induced arthritis and immune-associated bone loss through signaling via estrogen receptor ,, and not estrogen receptor , or G protein,coupled receptor 30ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 2 2010Cecilia Engdahl Objective The effects of estrogen may be exerted via the nuclear estrogen receptors (ERs) ER, or ER, or via the recently proposed transmembrane estrogen receptor G protein,coupled receptor 30 (GPR-30). The purpose of this study was to elucidate the ER specificity for the ameliorating effects of estrogen on arthritis and bone loss in a model of postmenopausal rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods Female DBA/1 mice underwent ovariectomy or sham operation, and type II collagen,induced arthritis was induced. Mice were treated subcutaneously 5 days/week with the specific agonists propylpyrazoletriol (PPT; for ER,), diarylpropionitrile (DPN; for ER,), G1 (for GPR-30), or with a physiologic dose of estradiol. Clinical arthritis scores were determined continuously. At termination of the study, bone mineral density (BMD) was analyzed, paws were collected for histologic assessment, serum was analyzed for cytokines and markers of bone and cartilage turnover, and bone marrow was subjected to fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Results Treatment with PPT as well as estradiol dramatically decreased the frequency and severity of arthritis. Furthermore, estradiol and PPT treatment resulted in preservation of bone and cartilage, as demonstrated by increased BMD and decreased serum levels of bone resorption markers and cartilage degradation markers, whereas no effect was seen after DPN or G1 treatment. Conclusion In a well-established model of postmenopausal RA, ER,, but not ER, or GPR-30 signaling, was shown to ameliorate the disease and the associated development of osteoporosis. Since long-term treatment with estrogen has been associated with significant side effects, increased knowledge about the mechanisms behind the beneficial effects of estrogen is useful in the search for novel treatments of postmenopausal RA. [source] GATA-3 protects against severe joint inflammation and bone erosion and reduces differentiation of Th17 cells during experimental arthritisARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 3 2009Jan Piet van Hamburg Objective Rheumatoid arthritis is associated with the infiltration of T helper cells into the joints. It is unclear whether interferon-, (IFN,),producing Th1 cells or the novel T helper subset, interleukin-17 (IL-17),producing Th17 cells, are the pathogenic mediators of joint inflammation in chronic nonautoimmune arthritis. Therefore, this study was aimed at examining whether the Th2-specific transcription factor GATA-3 can regulate arthritis, in an experimental murine model, by modulating Th1 and/or Th17 cell polarization. Methods Arthritis was induced with methylated bovine serum albumin (mBSA) in both wild-type and CD2 T cell,specific GATA-3 (CD2,GATA-3),transgenic mice. At days 1 and 7 after the induction of arthritis, knee joints were scored macroscopically for arthritis severity and for histologic changes. Single-cell suspensions were generated from the spleens, lymph nodes, and inflamed knee joints. Cytokine expression by CD4+ T cells was determined using flow cytometry, and IL-17 expression in the inflamed knee joints was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Analyses of gene expression were performed for Th17-associated factors. Results Wild-type mice developed severe joint inflammation, including massive inflammatory cell infiltration and bone erosion that increased significantly over time, reaching maximal arthritis scores at day 7. In contrast, only mild joint inflammation was observed in CD2,GATA-3,transgenic mice. This mild effect was further accompanied by systemic and local reductions in the numbers of IL-17+IFN,, and IL-17+IFN,+, but not IL-17,IFN,+, CD4+ T cells, and by induction of Th2 cytokine expression. Moreover, GATA-3 overexpression resulted in reduced gene expression of the Th17-associated transcription factor retinoic acid,related orphan receptor ,t. Conclusion These results indicate that enforced GATA-3 expression protects against severe joint inflammation and bone erosion in mice, accompanied by reduced differentiation of Th17 cells, but not Th1 cells, during mBSA-induced arthritis. [source] |