Figure 5.

Influence of the dosing schedule of methotrexate on leucocyte counts on days 3, 7, 17 and 21. Methotrexate was orally administered thrice weekly (2.33 mg/kg per time) and once daily (0.25 mg/kg or 1.0 mg/kg) for 3 weeks. Sodium bicarbonate was administered to the normal group and collagen‐induced arthritis groups. Each value represents the mean ± SD (n = 6). On day 3, leucocyte counts in the thrice‐weekly group were significantly lower than those in the other groups (P < 0.05 and <0.01, respectively).