PGNAA of human arthritic synovium for boron neutron capture synovectomy

Boron neutron capture synovectomy (BNCS), is a proposed new therapy modality for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease afflicting the joints. The synovium, which is the membrane lining the joint, becomes inflamed and represents the target tissue for therapy. When a joint is unresponsive to drug treatment, physical removal of the synovium, termed synovectomy, becomes necessary. Existing options include surgery and radiation synovectomy. BNCS has advantages over these options in that it is noninvasive and does not require the administration of radioactive substances. Previous studies have shown that the uptake of 10B by human arthritic synovium ex vivo is high, ranging from 194 to 545 ppm with an unenriched boron compound. While tissue samples remain viable up to 1 week, ex vivo conditions do not accurately reflect those in vivo. This paper presents results from experiments assessing the washout of boron from the tissue and examines the implications for in vivo studies