| pubmed-article:1712688 | pubmed:abstractText | We investigated the effect of a novel immunosuppressive agent, FK506, in comparison with cyclosporin A (CsA) on the development of passive arthritis induced by anti-type II collagen (CII) antisera in rats. FK506 pretreatment shortly before serum transfer markedly suppressed the incidence and the severity of passive arthritis, while CsA pretreatment had no observable effects on this disease when used in doses sufficient to suppress the development of active arthritis induced by CII immunization. In an additional study, we examined whether these agents affect antibody-mediated tolerance induction. CII-specific immunological tolerance was induced by serum transfer, but was unaffected by either FK506 or CsA pretreatment in our regimen. While its precise mechanism of the immunosuppressive activity remains to be elucidated, FK506 can act on the antibody-mediated effector phase of arthritis and may offer new insights into the possible role of potential therapeutic utility in human autoimmune diseases. | lld:pubmed |
