Blockade of bone morphogenetic protein signaling potentiates the pro-inflammatory phenotype induced by interleukin-17 and tumor necrosis factor-α combination in rheumatoid synoviocytes.

Introduction Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are multifunctional secreted growth factors regulating a broad spectrum of functions in numerous systems. An increased expression and production of specific BMPs have been described in the rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovium. The aim of this study was to analyze the involvement of the BMP signaling pathway in RA synoviocytes in response to interleukin-17 (IL-17) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α).