RESUMO
Objective To examine the expression of toll-like receptor 2(TLR2)in peripheral blood monocytes and explore its association with disease stages and clinical manifestations and to explore the patho- genesis of rheumatoid arthritis(RA).Methods The expression of toll-like receptor 2 in peripheral blood monocytes from 47 RA patientis(27 in active stage and 20 in stable stage)and 18 normal individuals were de- tected by flowcytometry and RT-PCR.Results The expression of toll-like receptor 2 in peripheral blood monocytes in patients with active disease was significantly increased compared to non-active patients and nor- mal individuals,The expression was found to correlate with the Disease Active Score(DAS),serum C-reactive protein(CRP)level and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR),but not correlate with rheumatoid factor (RF)and the anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide(CCP)antibody.Conclusion The expression of toll-like recep- tor 2 in peripheral blood monocytes of patients with active RA is significantly increased.And the expression is correlated with disease activity index.The innate immune system is activated in patients with active disease. And the increased expression may promote the activities of monocytes.