Abstract: AimTo study the effects of lipopolysaccharide （LPS）, the supernatant of U937 cells stimulated with LPS and dexamethasone on interleukin-6 (IL-6) expression in the synoviocyte from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). MethodsFibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) from the joint tissue of patients with rheumatoid arthritis were cultured and incubated for 24 h with LPS (1 mg·L^-1) or the supernatant of U937 cells stimulated with LPS (1 mg·L^-1) for 24 h. Dexamethasone was added to the supernatant of U937 cells and FLS was incubated for 24 h. The expression of IL-6 protein was detected by radioimmunoassay. The mRNA expression of IL-6 was accessed by RT-PCR. ResultsThe growth of FLS was not markedly affected by LPS, and the protein secretion and mRNA expression of IL-6 were not markedly changed in FLS treated with LPS. The IL-6 secretion and IL-6 mRNA expression were significantly increased in FLS cultured with the supernatant from U937 cell treated with LPS. Dexamethasone markedly inhibited the protein secretion and mRNA expression of IL-6 in FLS cultured with the supernatant from U937 cell stimulated with LPS. The inhibitory effects were increased as the concentration of dexamethasone increased. ConclusionLPS was not shown to directly affect the expression of IL-6 in FLS, but it indirectly causes the increase of the IL-6 expression in FLS by stimulating U937 cell. Dexamethasone can inhibit this increase of the IL-6 expression.