Serum and Synovial Fluid Proteins in Arthritis

Abstract

The general electrophoretic patterns were similar in serum and synovial fluid in most diseases. However, the synovial fluid gamma globulin and the synovial fluid/serum gamma globulin ratio were both greater in rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis than in any of the other diseases studied. Although the synovial fluid proteins are mostly derived from the plasma proteins, evidence is presented that some of the gamma globulin in the synovial fluid of rheumatoid arthritic patients is formed in the synovial membrane, probably by infiltrating lymphocytes and plasma cells.