Effect of L-Cysteine Hydrochloride, Dl-Alanine, Hydrochloric Acid and Sodium Hydrosulfide on Experimental Polyarthritis of Rats

Effects of Oral Cysteine, Penicillamine and N-Acetyl-penicillamine on Adjuvant Arthritis in Rats

“…Although the dosage in the latter experiment was intentionally rather high, it was ap preciably less than rats would receive by imbibing water, con taining 1% cysteine, in volumes comparable to that consumed by untreated animals. The apparent increased severity of the disease resulting from cysteine treatment might possibly be due to the fact that cysteine is reported to be a bradykinin potentiator [3,12], and the latter is regarded as one of the mediators of in flammation [14], The fact that PPLO-induced rat polyarthritis responds to oral treatment with cysteine [6,7], while the adjuvant disease does not, may also reflect the fundamental differences in the etiology and nature of these two diseases in rats.…”

“…11 has been shown that a polyarthritis induced in rats by pleuropneumonia-like organisms (PPLO) is markedly prevented by addition of 1% cysteine into the drinking water of the ani mals [6], Libenson and Wetzel [7] demonstrated further that, whereas orally-administered cysteine showed this effect, parenteral administration of this compound enhanced both the incidence and severity of this disease.…”