Isolation and propagation of endothelial cells derived from rheumatoid synovial microvasculature

Abstract

Synovial angiogenesis may play an important part in the destruction of articular cartilage in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). As an important first step towards developing in vitro models of synovial angiogenesis, microvascular endothelial cells have been isolated, purified, and cultured from operative synovial specimens obtained from adult patients with RA.