To assess cytokine-producing activity of T-lymphocytes of peripheral blood and synovial fluid in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
The study group consisted of 58 RA female patients aged 28-53 years (mean age 42.1 +/- 2.9 years) with at least 5-year history of RA (mean 10.7 +/- 4.9 years). The control group consisted of 37 healthy women matched by age. Spontaneous production of IL-2, IL-4, IFNgamma (IFNgamma) and TNFalpha (TNFalpha) by CD3(+) and CD3(-) lymphocytes was estimated after 4 hours of incubation in 37 degrees C with phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA, 50 ng/ml, Sigma, France), ionomycin (1 mcg/ml, Sigma, France) and brefeldin A (10 mcg/ml, Sigma, France).
In RA there is a decrease in a relative and absolute count of peripheral blood T-lymphocytes which occurs spontaneously and due to nonspecific stimulation of synthetizing IL-4, TNFalpha and IFNgamma. IFNgamma-producing lymphocytes (CD3(+) IFNg(+)/CD3(+) IL-4(+) = 4.45 +/- 1.56) prevail in the synovial fluid in RA, but count of lymphocyte IFNgamma , IL-2 and TNFalpha(+) in the synovial fluid is lower than in peripheral blood.
One of the causes of low count of TNFalpha, IFNgamma and IL-4 producing T-lymphocytes in peripheral blood is migration of relevant TC-subpopulations to the affected joints. Migration of TC1-lymphocytes into the synovial fluid does not result in their prevailing count in the synovial fluid vs peripheral blood.