Treatment with gamma‐interferon triggers the onset of collagen arthritis in mice

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Abstract
We investigated the effect of gM‐interferon (gM‐IFN) on the development of type II collagen (CII)‐induced arthritis. DBA/1 mice were immunized with rat CII and 16 days later, were treated with subcutaneous injections of recombinant rat gM‐IFN into the right paws twice a week. Compared with controls, the gM‐IFN‐treated mice developed arthritis with a higher frequency and severity. Immunohistochemical analysis of gM‐IFN‐treated paws from CII‐immunized mice revealed an increase in the numbers of class II antigen‐expressing cells and an infiltration of CD4+ lymphocyte‐like cells. The auto‐antibody response toward CII was suppressed by gM‐IFN treatment. The findings implicate gM‐IFN in a role that triggers arthritis by enhancing local inflammatory processes in the joints, or possibly, by permitting homing of T cells to the joints.