Zerstört das Pannusgewebe bei der chronischen Polyarthritis einen Knorpel mit vitalen Chondrozyten?

Abstract

IntroductionPannus tissue in rheumatoid arthritis may be regarded as a reparative tissue replacing necrotic cartilage or as a destructive tissue invading hyaline cartilage with viable chondrocytes. To get insight in the question which process predominates in rheumatoid arthritis we investigated ³H-proline labelled cartilage by a microautoradiographic method to obtain information whether pannus tissue borders on cartilage with preferentially labelled (viable) or unlabelled (necrotic) chondrocytes.

Material and methodsExaminations were performed on surgically removed specimens of human joints from patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Immediately after removal of the tissue small fragments of cartilage, bone and adhering pannus tissue were incubated in buffer solution with ³H-proline for one hour at 37° C. After formalin fixation paraffin sections were performed and autoradiographed. The microautoradiographs were stained with haematoxylin. Labelling indices of chondrocytes were estimated in the total cartilage and in the neighbourhood of the pannus tissue.

ResultsFrom the microautoradiographic preparations it was evident that 3H-proline penetrated the cartilage, for labelled chondrocytes were present in all regions. In the neighbourhood of pannus tissue ³H-proline labelled chondrocytes could also be observed. The quantitative examination revealed that in cartilage without pannus tissue superficial chondrocytes without labelling were often present. Chondrocytes in the neighbourhood of the invading pannus tissue also revealed in most instances labelling indices comparable with the labelling indices of the total cartilage specimens.

ConclusionsIt is concluded from these results that cartilage with viable chondrocytes may be invaded by pannus tissue, and that pannus tissue is therefore able to destroy cartilage with viable chondrocytes.

Zusammenfassung

Mit einer mikroautoradiographischen Methode wurde der Frage nachgegangen, ob Pannusgewebe einen nekrotischen Knorpel abbaut und somit ein reparatives Gewebe darstellt, oder ob es in einen Knorpel mit vitalen Chondrozyten eindringen kann. Aus den vorliegenden autoradiographischen Untersuchungen über die Fähigkeit der Chondrozyten, in vitro ³H-Prolin zu inkorporieren, unabhängig von der Art des benachbarten Pannusgewebes, wird geschlossen, daß nicht Chondrozytennekrosen der Pannusinvasion vorausgehen müssen, sondern daß das Pannusgewebe ein destruktives entzündliches Gewebe darstellt, das einen Knorpel mit vitalen Chondrozyten zerstören kann.