Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease, which results in inflammation of
the synovial lining and destruction of the adjacent bone and cartilage. Synovial
macrophages, fibroblasts and lymphocytes are critical to the pathogenesis of this disease, in
which apoptosis may play divergent roles. In joints of patients with active RA, few apoptotic
cells are detected, and experimental data suggest that enhanced apoptosis within the joint
might be therapeutically beneficial. Signaling pathways, such as the nuclear factor kappa-B …