Expression and significance of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α on synovium from collagen-induced arthritis

AIM: To investigate the role of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).METHODS: The collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model was set up in male Wistar rats.The arthritis activity indexes,pathological changes and expression of HIF-1α on synovium at different time were observed through HE and immunohistochemistry staining.The correlations of HIF-1α expression with arthritis activity indexes and pathological scores were analyzed.RESULTS: Cytoplasmic and nucleic HIF-1α expressions were found on both lining and sublining area of synovium.HIF-1α expression in synovium increased gradually with the prolonged disease course.Synovial HIF-1α expression correlated significantly with arthritis activity indexes,total pathological score,synovial hyperplasia score and angiogenesis score,but not with inflammation score.CONCLUSION: HIF-1α may play important roles in the pathogenesis of RA through inducing synovial hyperplasia and angiogenesis.