FIGURE 1.

Experimental schedule. Male DBA/1J mice (8 weeks old) were immunized by intradermal injection with 100 μg of bovine type II collagen emulsified with CFA. For assessment of the intraperitoneal inoculation of L. helveticus SBT2171, the mice were injected with 100 μL of PBS containing 1 mg of L. helveticus SBT2171 cells intraperitoneally three times per week after the first immunization, and daily after the second immunization. For oral administration of L. helveticus SBT2171, 300 μL of an NaHCO₃/PBS solution containing 30 mg of freeze-dried bacterial cells was administered daily after the first immunization.