PASSIVE TRANSFER OF ADJUVANT-INDUCED ARTHRITIS INTO IRRADIATED DA RECIPIENT RATS

Adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) can be passively transferred in Dark Agouti (DA) rats by spleen and lymph node cells after culture with Con canavalin A (Con A). A model not requiring in vitro Con A expansion an d activation would be important in investigations of anti-rheumatic dr ugs in AIA. A new model using irradiated recipients fills this need. D onor DA rats treated with 0.1 mi complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) cont aining 7.5 mg M. butyricum/ml were sacrificed 11 days after CFA inject ion, donor spleen cells harvested, and donor spleen cells injected int ravenously into recipient DA rats previously irradiated with 5 Gy. Rec ipient rats developed arthritis 4-14 days after spleen cell transfer. This model can now be used to further define the effects of anti-rheum atic drugs in the passive transfer of AIA by eliminating the need for the in vitro Con A-induced expansion and/or activation of donor cells.