Lymphocyte subpopulations in adjuvant arthritis of rats. Effects of corticoids and gamma irradiation

: Experimental model of human chronic inflammatory arthritis, adjuvant arthritis may be induced only in several strains of inbred Rats: it is well developed in LEW and practically absent in WAG. After adjuvant injection, the PHA-stimulable lymphocytes subpopulation quite disappears from the blood, if polyarthritis is well developed. These cells are probably capted in the tissues implicated in immunological conflict. On the contrary, the ConA-stimulable subpopulation is enhanced in both strains after adjuvant injection, earlier and more intense in WAG than in LEW and that phenomenon is probably linked to a stimulation of suppressor T lymphocytes. Treatment with prednisone or gamma rays inhibits partially and delays the appearance of arthritis in LEW, acting essentially on ConA-stimulable subpopulation.