Rodent Preclinical Models for Developing Novel Antiarthritic Molecules: Comparative Biology and Preferred Methods for Evaluating Efficacy

Figure 8

The effect of cyclosporin A (CsA), a potent immunosuppressant, on the extent of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in young adult, female Lewis rats depends on the treatment schedule. The course of CIA in untreated animals (arthritis control) is represented by the solid blue line with triangular data points. Administration of CsA on the day of arthritis induction (designated as d0) for 7 consecutive days (d0 to d7) substantially inhibits hind paw swelling (orange-dotted line with inverted triangles). Early but abbreviated treatment with CsA (d0 to d4) delays disease onset but does not impact its ultimate severity (solid red line with squares). Delayed exposure to CsA (d7 to d14) greatly exacerbated the degree of hind paw swelling (green-dotted line with circles). Bars associated with data points represent standard error of the mean. Treatment regimen: CsA was given at 25 mg/kg/day by gavage.