image: In rheumatoid arthritis, the joint synovium becomes inflamed with dilated blood vessels and immune cells. Leukocytes, cytokines, chemokines, and other mediators of inflammation, accumulate in the synovial fluid. Local activation of platelets by collagen and synoviocytes may trigger the release of microparticles from platelets. These microparticles then enter the joint space and further amplify inflammation by producing interleukin-1, which activates synoviocytes, thus supporting a cycle of inflammation. This image relates to an article that appeared in the Jan. 29, 2010, issue of Science, published by AAAS. The study, by Dr. Eric Boilard at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Mass., and colleagues, was titled, "Platelets Amplify Inflammation in Arthritis via Collagen-Dependent Microparticle Production." view more
Credit: Yana Greenman/Science (c) 2010 AAAS