THE EFFECT OF CARRAGEENAN-INDUCED INFLAMMATION ON BLOOD FLOW IN THE RABBIT KNEE JOINT

Experiments were carried out on anesthetized adult New Zealand rabbits. Acute joint inflammation was achieved by intra-articular injection of 2% carrageenan. Radiolabelled microspheres were used to measure the effect of acute inflammation on blood flow in the knee joint and establish whether neural influences on blood vessel caliber were affected. Surgical exposure of the posterior joint "capsule" increased blood flow in the control knee, but subsequent section of the posterior articular nerve (PAN) supplying the knee produced no further increase. In the inflamed knee, blood flow declined progressively with ea<.:h procedure. Electrical stimulation of PAN reduced blood flow in the posterior region of both knees, with somewhat less effects in the inflamed knee.