pubmed:abstractText |
Interferon gamma (IFN gamma) is found to be elevated in the synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, suggesting its implication in joint disease pathogenesis. In this study, we investigated the effects of IFN gamma on the production of cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, IL-10), prostaglandin E(2)(PGE(2)), proteoglycans (PG), nitric oxide (NO), interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) and stromelysin by non-stimulated and IL-1 beta-treated human chondrocytes. The role played by NO in the responses of chondrocytes to IFN gamma was also examined by incubation of chondrocytes with N(G)-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA), a competitive inhibitor of NO synthase.
|