To study the changes in rheumatoid synovitis induced by the nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID), naproxen, and methotrexate (MTX).
Twelve patients were treated with naproxen, and 11 with MTX and a clinical activity index was measured before and after treatment. A synovial biopsy was taken, on entry into the study and after 73 +/- 43 days in the NSAID group and 145 +/- 35 in the MTX group. Synovial cells bearing CD3, CD4, CD8, CD19, LeuM5 (CD11c), HLA-DR, HLA-DP and CD25 antigens were measured by stereology.
Patients treated with MTX showed a reduction in the number of CD3+ (p = 0.01), CD4+ (p = 0.007) and HLA-DR+ (p = 0.01) cells with an improvement in the activity index (p = 0.001). The patients treated with naproxen did not show changes in the activity index or in the synovial infiltrate.
Our findings support the theory that clinical improvement in rheumatoid synovitis is associated with a significant decrease in the number of T cells infiltrating the synovial membrane.