[Pannus development in adjuvant arthritis of the rat - an autoradiographic study (author's transl)].

After the injection of complete adjuvant, rats develop arthritis with increased proliferation of synovial tissue cells at the attachment of the synovial membrane to cartilage and bone. From this synovial tissue a connective tissue pannus develops which covers the cartilage surface as a monocellular or multicellular layer of proliferating cells. Areas with cartilage destruction are usually characterized by a great number of proliferating connective tissue cells. Cartilage destruction is not restricted to the superficial pannus, since granulation tissue of the subchondral bone may also participate in cartilage resorption. The quantitative determination of 3H-thymidine labelled chondrocytes excludes participation of these cells in pannus formation.