ABSTRACT
Objective To develop the humanized animal model for RA cartilage erosion,and study the mechanisms of its pathogenesis.Methods RA synovium and normal human cartilage under the kidney cap- sule of the SCID mice were engrafted,and were maintained for 4～16 weeks.In addition,mice underwent simi- lar surgery except the engraftment served as controls.After 4,8,12 or 16 weeks,the mice were killed and the grafts were harvested and the cartilage destruction was assessed histologically by haematoxylin/eosin-stained paraffin sections.Results Histological examination revealed the presence of infiltration of RA synovium cells into the cartilage after 4 weeks and the cartilage was destructed evidently.These studies demonstrated that the RA-SCID model maintained many of the phenotypic and functional features of RA.Conclusion This RA-SCID mouse is a useful animal model for study of the pathogenesis and the development of new drugs for RA patients.