To detect the levels of interleukin 27 (IL-27) and its receptor in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and fibroblasts like synoviocytes (FLS) of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or osteoarthritis (OA).
PBMCs were collected from 20 patients with RA, 20 patients with OA and 20 healthy controls. FLS were cultured from synovial tissues of 4 patients with RA and 4 patients with OA. The levels of IL-27 mRNA in PBMCs and FLS were measured using real-time quantitative PCR. The expression of IL-27Rα in FLS was detected using immunocytochemical method.
The level of IL-27 mRNA in PBMCs of patients with RA or OA was 1.81 or 2.07 times of the level in the normal subjects, respectively. There was no significant difference in the IL-27 mRNA level between RA and OA. However, IL-27 mRNA level in FLS of the patients with RA was 3.74 times of the level in the patients with OA. IL-27Rα expression in FLS of RA group was higher than that in OA group.
The level of IL-27 in patients with RA and OA increased, and the level of IL-27 in FLS was higher than that in PBMCs in RA patients.