The Study Of The Effects Of Arsenic Trioxide On The Synoviocytes Apoptosis Of Rheumatoid Arthritis In Vitro

Objective: To investigate whether arsenic trioxide(As₂O₃)-mediated apoptosisof synovial cells has potential as a new therapeutic drug in rheumatoid arthritis(RA).Methods: Primary synovial cells were cultured by means of enzymaticdigestion. Cultured cells were defined by light microscope, electron microscope, HE staining and immunochemistry detections with Vimentin, CD14 monoclonal antibody. The effect of As₂O₃ on the viability of synovial cells was detected by MTT method. Spss 11.0 for windows statistic software was used for analysis of variance and LSD test. Apoptosis changes were examined in synovial cells of 9 RA, 3 osteoarthritis(OA) and 3 normal controls(NC, cases of trauma) by light microscope, electron microscope and DNA gel electrophoresis.Results:1. Cultured synoviocytes included three types: Macrophagelike Cell, Fibroblastlike Cell and Dendritic Cell.2. Certain concentration of As₂O₃ could inhibit the viability of synoviocytes, which was time-and-dose dependent.3. Apoptosis was detected by light microscope and electron microscope such as cell retraction and apoptosis body. Apoptosis Ladder was seen by DNA gel electrophoresis.Conclusion: Inducing synoviocytes apoptosis may be one of the therapeutic mechanisms of As₂O₃ for RA and it also provide useful help for choosing clinically adequate therapeutic drugs and doses for RA.