Abstract
Cotton pellet-induced granuloma formation in intact animals is intimately dependent upon body growth and general anabolic processes. Deposition of connective tissue around the pellet continues up to (and probably beyond) the observation period of 90 days after implantation. Anorexic or catabolic agents, or both, or restricted food intake markedly impairs granuloma formation as a result of an impaired body growth. By expressing the amount of granuloma formed in mg/100 g body weight, the true anti-granulomatous properties of a drug can be easily dissociated from those attributable to an impaired body growth. The mechanism by which impairment in body growth affects granuloma formation is discussed.