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. 2010 May 10;5(5):e10558. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0010558

Figure 2. Non-depleting anti-CD4 MAb prevents the onset of autoimmune arthritis.

Figure 2

(A) Female SKG mice were immunized with 3mg curdlan i.p. together with 1 mg non-depleting anti-CD4 or an isotype control. The MAb was administered again on days 2 and 4. Anti-CD4 treated mice were protected from the development of autoimmune arthritis (n = 6, P<0.001). Data, represented as mean ± SEM, are from two independent experiments. (B) Serum concentration of rheumatoid factor (RF) was measured by ELISA. Mice treated with anti-CD4 showed significantly lower levels of RF (n = 6, P<0.001) (C) Histological sections stained with eosin-hematoxilin from the ankle and metatarso-phalangical joints from SKG mice in the absence and in the presence of anti-CD4 treatment, 90 days following curdlan immunization. (D) Serum concentration of IL-6, IFN-γ, TNF and MCP-1 in naive SKG mice, SKG mice exposed to curdlan, or curlan and anti-CD4. Naive SKG mice were age matched and did not develop arthritis in the absence of curdlan immunization (no induction). The serum levels of IL-6 (P<0.05), IFN-γ (P<0.01) and MCP-1 (P<0.01) were significantly lower in anti-CD4 treated mice compared with animals injected with curldan in the absence of tolerizing MAbs. Differences in TNF concentration did not reach statistical significance. (E) The serum concentration of IL-10 and IL-17 in SKG mice exposed to curdlan, or curlan and anti-CD4 remained similar in the different experimental groups. Culture supernatants from Th17 cell culture were used as positive control.