Immunoregulation in Arthritis: A Review on Synovial Immune Reactions in RA and in Some Experimental Animal Models for Arthritis

Local synovial immune reactions have during recent years been characterized both in human arthritides, particularly in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and in animal models for arthritis. Common characteristics of human RA on one hand and experimental adjuvant arthritis and collagen arthritis on the other hand, are induced expression of class II transplantation antigens on synovial cells close to the cartilage and presence of activated T lymphocytes in close proximity to these class II expressing cells. The present review aims to describe some implications of these and subsequent findings both concerning the analysis of the pathogenesis of RA and concerning some therapeutic implications derived from parallel studies on relevant features of the human RA and the respective animal models for arthritis.