Background: The effectiveness of T cell vaccination has been demonstrated in a variety of animal models of both induced and spontaneous autoimmune diseases. Objective: The purpose of this study was to test the T cell vaccination protocol to treat and prevent collagen induced arthritis (CIA) in a rheumatoid arthritis model. Methods: CIA was induced by an intradermal injection of an artheritogen ...

OBJECTIVES To investigate the influence and mechanism of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell transplant in the synovial proliferation of type II collagen-induced arthritis. MATERIALS AND METHODS From the bone marrow of Sprague-Dawley rats, mesenchymal stem cells were isolated and expanded. Forty rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: normal control, early mesenchymal stem cell treatment, lat...

CD4(+) helper Th cells play a major role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. Th cell activation, differentiation, and immune function are regulated by costimulatory molecules. Inducible costimulator (ICOS) is a novel costimulatory receptor expressed on activated T cells. We, as well as others, recently demonstrated its importance in Th2 cytokine expression and Ab class switching by B c...

Plectranthus amboinicus (P. amboinicus) is a folk herb that is used to treat inflammatory diseases or swelling symptoms in Taiwan. We investigated therapeutic efficacy of P. amboinicus in treating Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) using collagen-induced arthritis animal model. Arthritis was induced in Lewis rats by immunization with bovine type II collagen. Serum anti-collagen IgG, IgM and C-reactive p...

INTRODUCTION Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) is a homopentameric protein in cartilage. The development of arthritis, like collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), involves cartilage as a target tissue. We have investigated the development of CIA in COMP-deficient mice. METHODS COMP-deficient mice in the 129/Sv background were backcrossed for 10 generations against B10.Q mice, which are su...

We have studied the effect of the immunosuppressive agent cyclosporin on collagen induced arthritis in mice. Cyclosporin, when given prophylactically, was capable of suppressing the development of collagen induced arthritis and the immunological response to native type II collagen in a dose dependent manner. Furthermore, treatment with cyclosporin, started on the same day as the booster injecti...

The onset of arthritis in Sprague-Dawley rats occurred between 10-13 days after intradermal injection of collagen when serum IgM and IgG antibody levels to native type II collagen had reached high levels. Although arthritis could be induced in rats immunized with 25-500 microgram native type II collagen in incomplete Freund's adjuvant, higher serum IgM and IgG antibody levels to native type II ...

Many genetically modified mouse strains are now available on a C57BL/6 (H-2b) background, a strain that is relatively resistant to collagen-induced arthritis. To facilitate the molecular understanding of autoimmune arthritis, we characterised the induction of arthritis in C57BL/6 mice and then validated the disease as a relevant pre-clinical model for rheumatoid arthritis. C57BL/6 mice were imm...