EFFECTS OF ORAL D-PENICILLAMINE TREATMENT ON EXPERIMENTAL ARTHRITIS AND ASSOCIATED IMMUNE-RESPONSE IN RABBITS .2. EFFECTS ON CELLULAR PARAMETERS

  • 1 January 1978
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 35  (1) , 159-166
Abstract
Prolonged oral treatment (up to 410 days) of rabbits with D-penicillamine at a dose of 15 mg/kg body wt commencing before or after immunization and the onset of arthritis, diminished and eventually abolished the delayed hypersensitivity response to intradermally administered PPD. The 48 h cutaneous hpersensitivity response to the immunizing antigen (ovalbumin) was also significantly reduced, as was the inhibition of leukocyte migration by ovalbumin. Cutaneous Arthus reactivity to ovalbumin was unaffected by D-penicillamine treatment. D-penicillamine treatment of normal rabbits was also found to increase the phagocytic index of the RES as measured by carbon clearance.