Production of neuropeptide substance P by synovial fibroblasts from patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis

• Published in: Neuroscience letters 2001-05, Vol.303 (3), p.149-152
• Main Authors: Inoue, Hideo, Shimoyama, Yoshihito, Hirabayashi, Kazuhiro, Kajigaya, Hiroshi, Yamamoto, Seizou, Oda, Hiromi, Koshihara, Yasuko
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arthritis, Rheumatoid - metabolism; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - physiopathology; Basic fibroblast growth factor; Biological and medical sciences; Cells, Cultured - cytology; Cells, Cultured - drug effects; Cells, Cultured - metabolism; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 - metabolism; Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 - pharmacology; Fibroblasts - cytology; Fibroblasts - drug effects; Fibroblasts - metabolism; Human; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Inflammatory joint diseases; Medical sciences; Nerve Fibers - metabolism; Osteoarthritis; Osteoarthritis - metabolism; Osteoarthritis - physiopathology; Preprotachykinin mRNA; Protein Precursors - genetics; Rheumatoid arthritis; RNA, Messenger - drug effects; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Substance P; Substance P - biosynthesis; Synovial fibroblasts; Synovial Membrane - innervation; Synovial Membrane - metabolism; Synovial Membrane - physiopathology; Tachykinins - genetics; Transforming Growth Factor beta - metabolism; Transforming Growth Factor beta - pharmacology; Transforming growth factor-β
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/S0304-3940(01)01713-X

We examined the production of substance P (SP) in synovial fibroblasts derived from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA). Immunoreactive SP was observed in non-stimulated RA fibroblasts. The expression of β-preprotachykinin-A (β-PPT-A) mRNA was confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis. SP contents in culture medium were increased by treatment of RA fibroblasts with transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) (10 ng/ml). Levels of SP release were elevated at 12 h after TGFβ stimulation whereas the expression of β-PPT-A mRNA was enhanced at 3 h. Furthermore, SP production in response to TGFβ was dose-dependently enhanced by basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). OA fibroblasts also significantly released SP in the presence of TGFβ (10 ng/ml) plus bFGF (50 ng/ml). These results suggest that SP produced by synovial fibroblasts may participate in joint diseases.