Cell receptors to sulphated polysaccharides in the acute and chronically inflamed synovial joint

Receptors to sulphated polysaccharides have recently been discovered on "free" joint fluid cells and synovial membrane cells in the normal joint. A search for these receptors on cells was made in rabbits with acute and chronic adjuvant inflammatory arthritis in an attempt to further elucidate their role in joint homeostasis. These experiments demonstrated a significant increase in cell numbers within the joint. Receptor activity was most marked on macrophages found free within the synovial fluid. It is postulated that exogenous cells may be important in the process of joint destruction and are outside the control of the normal joint regulatory mechanisms. The endogenous cell population, which exhibits receptor activity, may be responding to the process of joint destruction by proliferation as a secondary phenomenon.