Persistent popliteal lymphatic muscle cell coverage defects despite amelioration of arthritis and recovery of popliteal lymphatic vessel function in TNF-Tg mice following anti-TNF therapy.

ABSTRACT: While rheumatoid arthritis patients and tumor necrosis factor transgenic (TNF-Tg) mice with inflammatory-erosive arthritis display lymphatic drainage deficits, the mechanisms responsible remain unknown. As ultrastructural studies of joint-draining popliteal lymphatic vessels (PLVs) in TNF-Tg mice revealed evidence of lymphatic muscle cell (LMC) damage, we aimed to evaluate PLV-LMC coverage in TNF-Tg mice. We tested the hypothesis that alpha smooth muscle actin (αSMA)⁺ PLV-LMC coverage decreases with severe inflammatory-erosive arthritis, and is recovered by anti-TNF therapy facilitated by increased PLV-LMC turnover during amelioration of joint disease. TNF-Tg mice with established disease received anti-TNF monoclonal antibody (mAb) or placebo IgG isotype control mAb therapy (n =

SUBMITTER: Kenney HM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9325893 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature