Figure 1.

A) Clinical scoring of arthritis symptoms in CIA. From Day 20 after CIA induction, mice received semi-therapeutic treatment with one of four therapies: dexamethasone (n = 23), etanercept (n = 23), zoledronic acid (n = 24) or abatacept (n = 23). Control mice were treated with the vehicle PBS (n = 24). Signs of arthritis were monitored until Day 42. Significant reduced arthritis scores were observed for dexamethasone and etanercept treatment as compared to PBS administration (mixed model analysis, random intercept, P < 0.001 for both dexamethasone and etanercept). Means + SEM of pooled data from two independent experiments are depicted. B) Histological examination of arthritis symptoms in the knee joint of CIA mice. At Day 42 post-immunization, knee joints were isolated and prepared for histological examination. Femorotibial joints were scored for five different parameters. Kruskall-Wallis test: P ≤ 0,001 for all parameters as compared to PBS. *: significant P-values (compared to PBS) according to Mann-Whitney U test and correction using the Holm procedure. Bars represent means + SEM.