The pathogenesis of cartilage erosion of rheumatoid arthritis and the development of animal model by engraftment of RA synovium and normal human cartilage under the kidney capsule of the SCID mice / 中华风湿病学杂志

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.