[Role of phagocytic cells in rheumatoid polyarthritis]

Three groups of subjects were selected for this study. Patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) diagnosed according to the criteria of the ARA (mean: 6 criteria) and treated with gold salts. Control subjects treated with one type of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent (diclofenac). Healthy subjects receiving no treatment. The granulocytes and monocytes in the peripheral blood were tested separately for the ingestion of 3 types of particles and for the stimulation of the production of the superoxide anion. In the patients with rheumatoid arthritis, all of the phagocytic cells had a normal phagocytic response and a normal superoxide anion production. The serum of the patients did not inhibit the activity of these cells. Diclofenac did not act on phagocytosis or on the oxidative activity of the control cells. It is therefore logical to consider that the phagocytic cells are involved in RA via other mechanisms of action.