Low responsiveness of synovial and peripheral blood lymphocytes stimulated by either PHA-P or CON-A in patients with chronic rheumatoid arthritis

Lymphocytes were highly purified from synovial fluid and peripheral blood of 10 rheumatoid arthritis patients and assessed for responsiveness to PHA-P and Con-A. In all cases, both synovial and blood lymphocytes showed a marked reduction in response to these mitogens compared with normal blood lymphocytes. The factors responsible for this low T cell responsiveness are discussed.