To investigate the mechanism of anti-death receptor 5-10 (AD5-10) combined with epirubicin in treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
We detected the cell viability of the fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) from RA patients with MTT. The expression level of apoptosis signaling pathways protein, p53, and p21 were evaluated with Western blot.
We found that epirubicin, at different doses, could enhance the effect of AD5-10 on FLS, promoting the apoptosis of FLS. The expression levels of caspase-3, -8, -9, c-FLIP, Bcl-2, p53, and p21 in the FLS changed after epirubicin treatment.
Epirubicin may coordinate with AD5-10 in inducing FLS apoptosis through affecting the levels of p53, p21, c-FLIP, and Bcl-2.