Acta Biomedica Scientifica (May 2012)
TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR-α MEMBRANE-BOUND AND SOLUBLE RECEPTORS IN NORM AND IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
Abstract
TNFα — a multifunctional pleiotropic cytokine, considered to have a special significance in the immunopathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. Herewith the effectiveness of immunomodulatory cytokine and its role in the development of pathological states of the organism may depend largely on the content of soluble receptors and expression of membrane-bound receptors. The study shows several significant differences not only in the percentage of cells with. TNFα receptors, but also in the absolute number of receptors expressed on cells from different subsets of immunocompetent cells in health and in rheumatoid arthritis, establishes correlation relationships of these parameters with serum contents of the cytokine and its soluble receptors. The mechanisms and the role of changes in the expression of TNFα receptors in different subsets of leukocytes in immunopathological state and in compare with healthy donors are discussed.