Since defective apoptosis has been suggested to play a role in the development of autoimmune diseases, we have investigated the expression of the proto-oncogene bcl-2 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The expression of bcl-2 was studied in peripheral blood (PB) and synovial fluid (SF) lymphocytes and synovial tissues (ST) from patients with RA using immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry and nucleic acid hybridization. Patients with reactive arthritis (ReA) or osteoarthritis (OA) and healthy individuals were used as controls. The expression of bcl-2 protein in PB lymphocytes and the expression of bcl-2 mRNA in PB mononuclear cells (PBMC) was similar in healthy controls and patients with RA. However, bcl-2 protein expression was significantly reduced in SF lymphocytes when compared to PB lymphocytes. Similar results were observed with lymphocytes from patients with ReA, and irrespective of whether total lymphocytes, T cells or different T-cell subsets were studied. In the synovial sections, the expression of bcl-2 was restricted to lymphocytes, and bcl-2+ cells were observed in the majority of samples from patients with RA, OA and ReA. These data indicate that the expression of bcl-2 is not increased in the lymphocytes or ST derived from patients with RA. Instead, decreased expression of bcl-2 protein in SF lymphocytes compared to PB lymphocytes was demonstrated. We suggest that bcl-2 does not play a significant role in the pathogenesis of RA.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/35.7.611DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

expression bcl-2
28
bcl-2 protein
12
lymphocytes
10
expression
9
bcl-2
9
rheumatoid arthritis
8
play role
8
protein lymphocytes
8
lymphocytes compared
8
compared lymphocytes
8

Similar Publications

Nobiletin: a potential erythropoietin receptor activator protects renal cells against hypoxia.

Apoptosis

January 2025

Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, China.

Tangerine peel is a traditional Chinese herb and has been widely applied in foods and medicine for its multiple pharmacological effects. Erythropoietin receptor (EPOR), a member of the cytokine receptor family, is widely expressed in multiple tissues in especial kidney and plays protective effects in adverse physiological and pathological conditions. We hypothesized that it might be EPOR agonists existing in Tangerine peel bring such renal benefits.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Xinnaoxin capsule alleviates neuropathological changes and cognitive deficits in Alzheimer's disease mouse model induced by D-galactose and aluminum chloride via reducing neuroinflammation and protecting synaptic proteins.

J Ethnopharmacol

January 2025

Tianjin Key Laboratory for Modern Drug Delivery & High-Efficiency, School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Faculty of Medicine, Tianjin University, Weijin Road, 300072 Tianjin, China. Electronic address:

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Originally formulated to mitigate high-altitude sickness, Xinnaoxin capsules (XNX) are composed of three traditional Chinese medicines (Rhodiola rosea L., Lycium barbarum L. and Hippophae rhamnoides) with properties of anti-hypoxia, anti-fatigue, and anti-aging.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: The incidence of vascular dementia (VaD), as one of the main types of dementia in old age, has been increasing year by year, and exploring its pathogenesis and seeking practical and effective treatment methods are undoubtedly the key to solving this problem. Phosphoglycerate translocase 5 (PGAM5), as a crossroads of multiple signaling pathways, can lead to mitochondrial fission, which in turn triggers the onset and development of necroptosis, and thus PGAM5 may be a novel target for the prevention and treatment of vascular dementia.

Methods: Animal model of vascular dementia was established by Two-vessel occlusion (2-VO) method, and cellular model of vascular dementia was established by oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) method.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

To investigate the role of silent information regulator 6 (SIRT6) in regulating podocyte injury in diabetic nephropathy (DN) through autophagy mediated by Notch signaling pathway. A blank control group (group A), a diabetic nephropathy group (group B), and a Sirt6 intervention group (group C) were established. The group A cells were human normal glomerular podocyte cell lines (HGPCs) without any treatment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Misfolding and accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) lead to neuronal loss through various mechanisms, including the downregulation of eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (EEF2) protein synthesis signaling. This study investigated the neuroprotective effects of indole and coumarin derivatives on Aβ folding and EEF2 signaling using SH-SY5Y cells expressing Aβ-green fluorescent protein (GFP) folding reporter. Among the tested compounds, two indole (NC009-1, -6) and two coumarin (LM-021, -036) derivatives effectively reduced Aβ misfolding and associated reactive oxygen species (ROS) production.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!