Preparation of mononuclear cells from synovial tissue

In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the synovium represents the predominant site of inflammation and joint destruction and is regarded as the key organ involved in disease pathogenesis. It has been studied in different ways over the last 30 yr, yielding information about the mechanisms involved in disease and remains the tool most proximal to understanding the pathogenesis of RA. This chapter outlines how both histological and in vitro studies of dissociated tissue played key roles in the development of biological anti-TNF-alpha therapy and provides detailed protocols used routinely in the laboratory to facilitate studies of RA synovium and its composite cell populations.