Fig. 1

Distinct pro-angiogenic profile of PsA SFC-CM-primed HUVEC compared to RA SFC-CM. a Representative photomicrographs showing the distinct vascular pattern in the synovium of PsA patients as compared to RA patients. Quantification of the b tortuous, leaky, and bushy nature of the synovial vasculature, c macroscopic synovitis, and d angiogenesis in the synovium of RA (n = 7) and PsA (n = 8) patients. e Experimental setup where SFC-CM was generated from PsA and RA cultured SFCs with matched synovitis and vascular macroscopic scores but distinct vascular pattern. HUVEC cells were then cultured in the presence of control culture media, PsA SFC-CM, or RA SFC-CM and functional studies performed. f Heatmap displaying the gene transcripts for the key endothelial cell activation markers as quantified by RT-qPCR (basal n = 3, RA n = 5, and PsA n = 5); heatmap is presented as log₂ values. g Principal component analysis (PCA) of gene transcripts, revealing unique clustering of PsA SFC-CM-primed HUVEC compared to both control and RA SFC-CM. h Representative photomicrographs showing HUVEC tube formation in response to control culture media, RA SFC-CM, and PsA SFC-CM (original magnification × 10). i Bar graphs quantifying the HUVEC tube formation between control culture media (n = 5), RA SFC-CM (n = 5), and PsA SFC-CM (n = 5). Data are expressed as mean ± SEM. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, and *** p < 0.005 were considered significantly different