Diet and Adjuvant-Induced Arthritis in the Rat

Abstract

Rats fed a high carbohydrate or a high protein diet deficient in copper, magnesium or zinc, or in the three trace elements together, failed to develop adjuvant-induced arthritis, yet a deficiency of both copper and magnesium in the diets exhibited no such inhibition. On the other hand, only a magnesium deficiency reduced the severity of the dextran anaphylactoid reaction.

Effect of Magnesium Deficiency on Interleukin Production by Fisher Rats: Effect of Interleukins on Reduced in vitro Lymphocyte Responses to Concanavalin A and Lipopolysaccharide

“…What was not clear, however, from our data is the mechanism by which magnesium exerted its effect. Magnesium has been linked with reactions associated with the initiation of DNA syn thesis [18] and with the stabilization of cell mem branes [4] directly [ 19] or indirectly [3].…”

“…Cell proliferation is an important step in the develop ment of immune responses, and adequate levels of copper, magnesium and zinc which are essential for proliferation are therefore also vital [1,2], In previous experiments [3] it has been found that Fisher rats, when fed a high protein diet deficient in trace element salts, developed mild arthritis after ad juvant injection. Their spleen cells failed to respond in vitro to concanavalin A (Con-A), although in vivo they possessed a B-cell function of immune plaque formation to sheep red blood cells [4], When a full salt supplement was included in the diet or magnesium or copper or zinc was included in their drinking water, adjuvant-induced arthritis was severe and the re sponses to T-cell mitogens were restored [4].…”

Effect of Diet on Adjuvant-Induced Disease and Mitogenic Responses of Fisher Rats

“…Copper is involved in several biochemical processes [5], some of which, like prostaglandin and collagen bi osynthesis, are closely linked with inflammation. Copper deficiency increases the severity of carrageen an-induced edema in rat paws [1] in contrast to the production of AID, which is strongly inhibited [2], Magnesium deficiency partially inhibits the dextran inflammation and the development of AID in rats. Zinc deficiency has no effect on dextran inflamma tion, but it inhibits the development of AID [2], The adjuvant-induced disease which is considered to be a comparable animal model for rheumatoid ar thritis in man has been extensively studied, not only as an immune disease, but also to evaluate different anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs.…”

“…The cause of this failure was thought to be the type of food they were eating. Other investi gators had previously reported that AID was strongly inhibited when young rats were fed a copper-deficient diet for 2 months [1], or when rats were fed for short periods a high carbohydrate diet deficient in copper, magnesium or zinc or in the three trace elements to gether [2], In the present study, we have examined the effect of diet on the induction of AID in rats, and on the mitogenic response of untreated rat spleen cells to concanavalin-A (C'ON-A) and to immune plaque for mation (PFC) to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) as an evaluation of T and B-cell function, respectively.…”

Some Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Copper Complexes of Amino Acids

“…As the copper contents of complexes do not always corre late well with their anti-inflammatory poten cies, the raised copper levels in the blood are not the sole explanation for the onset, or the regression, of the disease. Nevertheless, young dietary copper-deficient rats (with serum copper levels reduced by more than 90% from the control value of about 150 /¿g/100 ml) do not develop arthritis af ter treatment with adjuvant [1], and rats fed different diets deficient in copper also do not respond [3].…”