Pathogenesis aspects of arthrosis in histopathological and electronmicroscopical studies of articular cartilage,...

Twenty-five biopsies of arthrosic cartilage with radiological correspondence, arthro, sic cartilage under study for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and posttrauma cartilage as control-were examined using histopathological (HE, VG, PAS-Alcian, Gömöri, Safranine O) and electronmicroscopical techniques. The arthrosic cartilage with radiological correspondence shows superficial and deep fissures, perichondrocytic gaps and modified reticulino-collagenic network at the histopathological examination. At the level of synovia-cartilage junction, we found some villous aspects of the synovia desquamating in the proximity of the affected cartilage. The investigated arthroses for RA presented some destructive fibrous modifications of the synovia similar to rheumatoid synovitis and associated with some dystrophic chondrocytic alterations. The ultrastructural affection was severe leading to cellular degeneration. The immunologically-studied arthroses for RA had seric pathologic values regarding: circulating immune complexes (CIC) (mean = 67.08 +/- 1.45 U), Ig.M(mean = 358 +/- 3.02 UI/ml) and anti collagen antibodies (mean = 409.9 +/- 0.42 U). The synovial depletion of complementary fraction C3(mean = 42.3-1 mg%) as against the normal seric level (mean = 63.07 +/- 0.49 mg%) suggests an immune synovitis. Correlation of immunomorphopathological data emphasize that arthrosis coexists with a secondary synovitis following a primitive degenerative process and allows arthroses under study for RA to be separated from other degenerative rheumatism diseases.