Osteogenic differentiation characteristics of hip joint capsule fibroblasts obtained from patients with ankylosing spondylitis

Abstract

The fibroblasts of hip joint capsules in patients with AS cultured <i>in vitro</i> have biologic characteristics of osteogenic differentiation and may be important target cells of AS ossification. The Activated BMP/Smads signalling pathway could potentially be a mechanism relating to fibroblasts differentiating into osteoblasts and an ossification mechanism for AS.