Wilkinson L S, Pitsillides A A, Edwards J C
Department of Rheumatology, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, University College, London, United Kingdom.
Ann Rheum Dis. 1993 Mar;52(3):182-4. doi: 10.1136/ard.52.3.182.
Giant cells are commonly present in inflamed synovium, often in close association with the intimal layer. The nature of these multinucleate cells has been reassessed using new cytochemical and immunochemical techniques.
Cryostat sections of non-inflamed, rheumatoid arthritic and osteoarthritic synovia were analysed for the presence of CD68 and non-specific esterase, markers associated with macrophages; activity of uridine diphosphoglucose dehydrogenase, associated with fibroblast-like synoviocytes; and tartrate resistant acid phosphatase and the vitronectin receptor subunit CD51, associated with osteoclasts.
Giant cells were not seen in non-inflamed tissue. In diseased tissue giant cells in the intimal layer fell into two major groups: CD68 negative or dull cells with high uridine diphosphoglucose dehydrogenase (UDPGD) activity suggestive of true synoviocyte polykaryons; and CD68 positive cells with low UDPGD activity suggestive of macrophage polykaryons. The two groups were seen in samples from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and patients with osteoarthritis (OA), but the former were more prominent in OA and the latter in RA. Most CD68 positive giant cells also showed tartrate resistant acid phosphatase activity and prominent expression of CD51. As such they were histochemically indistinguishable from osteoclasts, but their bone resorbing capacity remains unknown.
Giant cells in arthritic synovium appear to be of two types, one related to true synoviocytes and one to macrophages.
巨细胞常见于炎症滑膜中，常与内膜层紧密相关。已使用新的细胞化学和免疫化学技术对这些多核细胞的性质进行了重新评估。
对非炎症性、类风湿性关节炎和骨关节炎滑膜的冷冻切片进行分析，检测与巨噬细胞相关的标志物CD68和非特异性酯酶；与成纤维细胞样滑膜细胞相关的尿苷二磷酸葡萄糖脱氢酶的活性；以及与破骨细胞相关的抗酒石酸酸性磷酸酶和玻连蛋白受体亚基CD51。
在非炎症组织中未见巨细胞。在患病组织中，内膜层的巨细胞分为两大类：CD68阴性或暗淡的细胞，具有高尿苷二磷酸葡萄糖脱氢酶（UDPGD）活性，提示为真正的滑膜细胞多核体；以及CD68阳性细胞，具有低UDPGD活性，提示为巨噬细胞多核体。这两类细胞在类风湿性关节炎（RA）患者和骨关节炎（OA）患者的样本中均可见，但前者在OA中更突出，后者在RA中更突出。大多数CD68阳性巨细胞也显示抗酒石酸酸性磷酸酶活性和CD51的显著表达。因此，它们在组织化学上与破骨细胞无法区分，但其骨吸收能力尚不清楚。
关节炎滑膜中的巨细胞似乎有两种类型，一种与真正的滑膜细胞有关，另一种与巨噬细胞有关。
