RESEARCH - TNF blockade increases lymphangiogenesis in murine and human arthritic joints

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Ann Rheum Dis. 2008 Nov;67(11):1610-6. Epub 2008 Jan 3.

Tumour necrosis factor blockade increases lymphangiogenesis in murine

and human arthritic joints.

Polzer K, Baeten D, Soleiman A, Distler J, Gerlag DM, Tak PP, Schett

G, Zwerina J.

Department of Internal Medicine 3 and Institute for Clinical

Immunology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the presence and regulation of lymphatic

vessels in inflamed joints of mice with experimental arthritis as well

as patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondyloarthritis

(SpA).

METHODS: Lymphatic vessels and blood vessels were assessed in synovial

tissue of human tumour necrosis factor transgenic (TNFtg) mice and

synovial biopsies from patients with RA and SpA by

immunohistochemistry for podoplanin and CD31, respectively.

Assessments were performed before and after TNF blockade in all

biopsies.

RESULTS: Lymphatic vessels were abundantly present in the synovial

tissue of hTNFtg mice as well as patients with RA and SpA. The number

of lymphatic vessels was positively related to the severity of

synovial inflammation. Treatment with infliximab led to an increase in

the formation of lymphatic vessels in murine and human inflammatory

tissue.

CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that TNF blockade promotes the

proliferation of lymphatic vessels in the inflamed synovium of RA and

SpA. This finding leads to the assumption that promotion of

lymphangiogenesis may play an important part in efflux of cells and

fluid out of the inflamed tissue.

PMID: 18174217

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18174217

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