title: Oestrogen induced suppression of collagen arthritis: I. Long term oestradiol treatment of DBA/1 mice reduces severity and incidence of arthritis and decreases the anti type II collagen immune response.
abstract: Experimental animal models can be used to help understand how oestrogen modulates autoimmune arthritis. We have previously shown that castration of female DBA/1 mice exaggerates arthritis induced with type II collagen. This report shows that treatment of castrated DBA/1 mice with low doses (0.2 micrograms twice a week) of beta-oestradiol reduces the incidence (37% vs 78% in controls) and severity (3.9 vs 5.6 mean scores) of arthritis. Levels of IgG anti type II collagen antibodies are decreased whereas levels of IgM antibodies are increased in the beta-oestradiol treated mice. The T cell response, as measured by a 3H-thymidine assay, is reduced in the beta-oestradiol treated mice. The results suggest that treatment with low doses of beta-oestradiol exerts a suppressive effect on both development of collagen arthritis as well as T cell dependent immune reactivity towards type II collagen.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001168:Arthritis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003094:Collagen / Q000276:immunology*; D004958:Estradiol / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D010052:Ovariectomy; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D004958:Estradiol; D003094:Collagen