Pharmacological studies of antigen-induced arthritis in BALB/c mice I. Characterization of the arthritis and the effects of steroidal and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents

Abstract

Chronic monoarticular allergic arthritis was induced in BALB/c mice using methylated BSA as antigen and Freund's complete adjuvant, together with Bordetella pertussis as a secondary adjuvant. The optimum conditions for induction of chronic persistent arthritis and the histological characteristics of the arthritic lesion are described. Both the synovitis and erosive progression of the arthritis could be suppressed by daily treatment with prednisolone (1-10 mg/kg) or dexamethasone (0.5-2.5 mg/kg) for 4 weeks commencing 2 weeks after the induction of arthritis. In contrast, daily treatment with the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents ibuprofen (50-100 mg/kg), flurbiprofen (1-9 mg/kg) or indomethacin (0.1-3 mg/kg) had no significant effect on either the synovitis or erosions as judged histologically. Synovial fluid differential leukocyte counts were altered by treatment with ibuprofen and indomethacin but not by flurbiprofen or the corticosteroids. The suppressive effect of the corticosteroids was not due to either suppression of antibody synthesis or alteration of the number of leukocytes in the peripheral circulation.

Dexamethasone reduces tumor recurrence and metastasis after pancreatic tumor resection in SCID mice

“…This dosage has been administered before and turned out to be well tolerated in mice. 27,28 Treatment was started on day after subtotal pancreatectomy and lasted for 28 consecutive until sacrifice of the animals. To avoid unnecessary suffering, it was planned to sacrifice all animals in each group, if one animal met Buckwell's criteria indicating severe distress.…”

The effect of an interleukin‐1 receptor antagonist protein on type ii collagen–induced arthritis and antigen‐induced arthritis in mice

“…A monarticular arthritis was induced in C57B116 mice with mBSA as previously described (22,23). Briefly, mice were immunized (on day -21) with 100 pl of 1 mg/ml mBSA (Sigma, St. Louis, MO) emulsified in Freund's complete adjuvant supplemented with 1 mglml heat-killed M tuberculosis, strains C, DT, and PN mixed.…”

Pharmacological studies of antigen-induced arthritis in BALB/c mice II. The effects of second-line antirheumatic drugs and cytotoxic agents on the histopathological changes

“…Experimental monoarticular arthritis was induced as described previously [1] using procedures similar to those described by BRACKERTZ et al [2]. Inbred category 4 female BALB/c mice obtained from Bantin and Kingman were sensitised by subcutaneous injection, into the flank, of 100 #l of an emulsion comprised of 50 pl of a 2 mg/ml solution of methylated bovine serum albumin (Met-BSA; Sigma) and 50 #1 of Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA; Difco) to which had been added 50/~g Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Weybridge).…”

“…In the previous paper [1], we described our initial investigations into the suitability of the antigen-induced monoarticular arthritis model in mice, originally described by BRACKERTZ et al [2], for pharmacological studies of antirheumatic agents. It was found that established experimental arthritis, as judged histologically, could be suppressed by treatment with the corticosteroids prednisolone and dexamethasone, albeit at high doses, but not by treatment with the non-steroidal antiinflammatory agents (NSAIA's) ibuprofen, flurbiprofen and indomethacin.…”