Cytokine induction by thrombin in synovial fibroblasts. The synovial fibroblasts were collected from three RA patients, and both five and eight passage cells (2×105 cells, three samples each) were examined for each patient. The synovial fibroblasts were cultured for 48 hours in DMEM containing 0.5% FBS, then stimulated with thrombin (10 units/ml). At 4, 8, 12, and 24 hours after the stimulation, the supernatants of cultured cells were collected and measured using ELISA. Student’s t test and analysis of variance were used for statistical analyses, and p<0.05 compared with the value at hour 0 (*) was evaluated as being statistically significant. Figures represent mean (SD) for the six samples per patient
| Time (h) | 0 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IL6 (pg/ml) | 14 (5.4) | 16 (6.2) | 108 (28.5)* | 178 (34.7)* | 288 (48.5)* |
| G-CSF (pg/ml) | 10 (4.3) | 14 (5.5) | 20 (7.5) | 39 (5.5)* | 58 (8.8)* |
| IL1α (pg/ml) | 6 (3.1) | 8 (3.8) | 5 (3.3) | 7 (4.5) | 8 (4.3) |
| IL1β (pg/ml) | 12 (6.2) | 15 (6.8) | 13 (7.1) | 16 (8.8) | 15 (5.9) |
| IL2 (pg/ml) | 32 (8.7) | 26 (6.7) | 40 (8.3) | 37 (7.5) | 42 (9.5) |
| TNFα (pg/ml) | 13 (5.6) | 12 (7.7) | 17 (9.6) | 13 (8.8) | 15 (7.5) |
| GM-CSF (pg/ml) | 18 (8.8) | 17 (6.5) | 16 (7.9) | 20 (6.6) | 25 (8.5) |