Figure 4.

Effect of tranilast on the number of mast cells and osteoclasts in the inflamed paws of collagen-induced arthritic mice. Mast cells (A) and osteoclasts (B) of vehicle-treated (Vehicle), tranilast-treated (Tranilast) collagen-induced arthritic mice and non-immunized normal control mice (Normal) were counted. The tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) positive (+) mast cells can be distinguished from TNF-α negative (−) mast cells. The total number of mast cells, the number of TNF-α (+) mast cells and the number of osteoclasts in inflamed paws were higher in the paws of vehicle-treated arthritic mice than in the paws of normal controls, and were decreased by treatment with tranilast. Results are shown as the mean ± SEM for 12 animals in each group. *P < 0.05.