Fig. 3
Ang II increased RANKL expression in synovial cells via AT1R. Synovial cells were cultured in triplicate with or without the AT1R antagonist (olmesartan, Olm, 10−5 M) or the AT2R antagonist (PD123319, PD, 10−5 M) for 30 min, and exposed to Ang II (10−6 M) for 48 h. The relative level of RANKL was determined by RT-PCR and western blot. Data are representative images or expressed as the mean ± SD of three independent experiments with synovial cells from each RA patient. a RT-PCR analysis of AT1R expression (n = 3). b Western blot analysis of AT1R expression (n = 3). c RT-PCR analysis of AT1R expression (n = 3). d Western blot analysis of AT1R expression (n = 3). *p < 0.05 vs. the control group; #p < 0.05 vs. the Ang II group