Antigen-Specific Gene Therapy after Immunisation Reduces the Severity of Collagen-Induced Arthritis
Figure 2
Clinical and histopathological development of arthritis, serum levels of anti-CII IgG, and T regulatory cells after i.v. injection of lentiviral particles at day 7 after CII immunisation. (a) Design of experiments. Immunisation at day 0 with collagen type II (CII) in complete Freund’s adjuvants (CFA), lentiviral injection with LNT-GFP or LNT-Ii-CII at day 7 after CII immunisation, booster at day 21 with CII in incomplete Freund’s adjuvants (IFA), and termination of experiments at days 42–63. (b) The clinical frequency of arthritis. (c) The clinical severity of arthritis (LNT-GFP days 0–40 , days 42–52 , LNT-Ii-CII days 0–40 , and days 42–52 ). (d) The severity of histopathological synovitis and bone-cartilage erosivity. (e) Serum levels of CII-specific IgG antibodies at days 42 and 52. (f) The frequency of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Tregs in spleen and lymph node at termination of experiment. Closed circles represent LNT-GFP and open circles represent LNT-Ii-CII treated mice. In Figure 2(b) the value is calculated using logistic regression, in Figure 2(c) the value is calculated using linear regression, and in Figures 2(d), 2(e), and 2(f) the value is calculated using Mann Whitney U test. and .
