The occurrence of antibodies to collagen in synovial fluids

Abstract Synovial fluids and sera from 18 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 10 subjects with traumatic synovitis were studied for the presence of antibodies to native and denatured collagen. Antibodies to native and denatured collagen were detected in the vast majority of rheumatoid and traumatic synovial fluids. By contrast, these antibodies were present in the sera of less than half of the rheumatoid patients and were rarely found in sera from individuals with traumatic synovitis. In selected instances, antibodies to collagen were eluted from rheumatoid synovial membranes. These data suggest that immune complexes, consisting of collagen and antibody to collagen, may exist in joints affected by chronic synovitis.