title: Polyarthritis in the rat: effects of tolerance and sensitization to the bacterial extract OM-89 with a possible mode of action.
abstract: The Bacterial Extract OM-89 has been shown to significantly reduce paw swelling in an avridine-induced polyarthritis (AvPA) in female Wistar rats whether given orally for 3 weeks or as a series of i.p. injections. Paw swelling was also markedly reduced in groups of adult rats which had received i.p. injections of OM-89 as neonates. Three separate tolerance-inducing regimes were used and all were equally effective. It is suggested that OM-89 can modulate the undesirable immunological reactions to endogenous antigens and since oral administration has been shown to be clinically effective in the human, that the induction of oral tolerance could be a mechanism of action of OM-89.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Pathology, St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College, London.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Willis
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gowland
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Willoughby
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000378:metabolism*; D000284:Administration, Oral; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001169:Arthritis, Experimental / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D007114:Immunization; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; C050501:OM 89