title: Type II collagen serology: a guide to clinical responsiveness to oral tolerance?
abstract: A double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial of oral collagen type II (CII) treatment in rheumatoid arthritis was completed in Berlin. Anti-CII antibody titres were measured before and after the treatment. They showed that: (1) the titre prior to treatment did not identify a responder subgroup, (2) the treatment reduced CII antibody titres, but only in those patients making a clinical response and (3) administration of 10 mg CII per day reduced the titre in these subsets more effectively than 1 mg per day. Although the data are limited, they suggest that a titre drop may be useful for identifying those patients who respond to this form of treatment and that the drop may be a valid parameter for detecting the impact of the treatment on the immune system.
authors.affiliation: Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungs-Zentrum Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Gimsa
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sieper
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Mitchison
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003094:Collagen / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012699:Serology
chemical_list: D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D003094:Collagen