Synovial fluid from patients with rheumatoid arthritis modulates monocyte cell-surface phenotype

Maria Sole Chimenti; Paola Conigliaro; Paola Triggianese; Eleonora Baffari; Ettore Squillaci; Francesca Bolacchi; Roberto Perricone; Alberto Bergamini

doi:10.1177/0300060515593231

Synovial fluid from patients with rheumatoid arthritis modulates monocyte cell-surface phenotype

J Int Med Res. 2016 Sep;44(1 suppl):15-21. doi: 10.1177/0300060515593231.

Authors

Maria Sole Chimenti¹, Paola Conigliaro², Paola Triggianese², Eleonora Baffari², Ettore Squillaci³, Francesca Bolacchi³, Roberto Perricone², Alberto Bergamini²

Affiliations

¹ Rheumatology, Allergology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Systemic Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy maria.sole.chimenti@uniroma2.it.
² Rheumatology, Allergology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Systemic Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy.
³ Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Molecular Imaging, Interventional Radiology and Radiation Therapy, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy.

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the ability of synovial fluid from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or osteoarthritis (OA) to modulate cell-surface phenotype, function and viability of monocytes.

Methods: Monocytes from healthy donors were incubated with synovial fluid from patients with RA or OA. These were then cultured with autologous healthy CD4+ T-cells. Immunoglobulin-like transcript 4 (ILT4) and CD86 were evaluated on stimulated monocytes and CD4+ T-cells via fluorescence activated cell sorting.

Results: Monocytes incubated with synovial fluid from patients with RA (SF-RA; n = 12) had significantly lower ILT4 and higher CD86 levels than those incubated with synovial fluid from patients with OA (SF-OA; n = 12) or medium alone. In patients with RA, there was a significant negative correlation between ILT4 and disease activity score (DAS; r = -0.699), and a positive correlation between CD86 and DAS (r = 0.626). T-cells costimulated with monocytes cultured with SF-RA produced significantly more interferon-γ and tumour necrosis factor-α than those costimulated with monocytes cultured with SF-OA or controls.

Conclusions: Soluble mediators in SF-RA could contribute to modulating inflammation and local effectiveness of the immune response.

Keywords: Anti-tumour necrosis factor- α; Immunoglobulin-like transcript 4 (ILT4); TNF-α; inflammation; innate immunity; rheumatoid arthritis.