Abstract: Chronic synovitis is a non-specific proliferative lesion of synovium which usually invades and causes damage to cartilage and eventually affects the function of joint. Various types of arthritis can cause synovial inflammation which is commonly observed in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. However, the pathogenesis of rheumatoid synovitis is significantly different from that of osteoarthritis synovitis. In this article, the research advances in the pathogenesis of chronic synovitis was discussed with a focus on the role played by synoviocytes and the current research progress of pharmacotherapy for chronic synovitis was reviewed, so as to provide reference for the study of synovitis pathogenesis and the development of new anti-synovitis drugs.