Proteins of rat serum V: Adjuvant arthritis and its modulation by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

The effect of adjuvant arthritis (AA) on the pattern of rat serum proteins includes the upregulation of haptoglobin, orosomucoid, alpha(2)-macroglobul in, serine protease inhibitor-3, thiostatin, alpha(1)-antitrypsin, C-reacti ve protein, and the downregulation of kallikrein-binding protein, alpha(1)- inhibitor III, apolipoprotein A-1, alpha(2)-HS-glycoprotein, albumin, apoli poprotein A-IV, transthyretin and transferrin. Minor changes (+/- 20%) are observed for Gc-globulin, ceruloplasmin, and alpha(1)-macroglobulin. AA thu s grossly resembles the acute inflammatory response elicited by the injecti on of turpentine, although the changes in the levels of negative acute-phas e proteins (APP) are smaller in acute inflammation. Indomethacine and ibupr ofen inhibit the effects of arthritis on the synthesis of rat serum protein s in different ways: The former is, on average, three times as effective as the latter. Each drug interferes differently with different proteins. In a nimals without AA, both nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) mimick the inflammatory pattern to a certain extent, with more effect on the nega tive than on the positive APPs. Overall, the shifts in serum protein levels parallel changes in inflammatory parameters such as joint swelling and ser um interleukin-6 (IL-6) activity. Protein quantitation after two-dimensiona l electrophoresis (2-DE) reveals some effects of the drugs per se which esc ape detection by other routine tests.