Fibroblasts may be the new target for rheumatoid arthritis treatments

Fibroblasts could provide a new focus for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, says research published in Arthritis Research & Therapy.

Synovial fibroblasts are cells that make up part of the connective tissue (synovium) around human joints. When people have rheumatoid arthritis, the fibroblasts invade and attack the cartilage and bone around the joint.

Experts identified two types of fibroblast in the synovial membrane. The team showed that these cell types build up in different layers of the synovium. The PDPN type is responsible for cartilage damage in people with rheumatoid arthritis.

“This study not only shows the existence of distinct sub-sets of synovial fibroblasts, but also suggests that these cells are able to self-organise into lining and sub-lining layers in the presence of cartilage,” explains Dr Adam Croft, who led the research. “Combined with the difference in migration rates between the two types of cell, these results are extremely promising in terms of finding new therapeutic targets for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.”

It is hoped that by targeting fibroblast cell processes, future treatments for rheumatoid arthritis could be more effective and more manageable than current options.

Click here to read the original research.

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