Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors are antiarthritic in the rat.

Adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats was attenuated by the therapeutic administration of carbonic anhydrase inhibitors. Female Lewis rats with established disease were treated daily (day 18 through day 50) with various carbonic anhydrase inhibitors; oedema and joint integrity (X-ray) were determined post-treatment. Acetazolamide, ethoxzolamide, methazolamide, and dichlorphenamide reduced paw oedema and attenuated the deterioration of the joints of rats with adjuvant arthritis. However, no carbonic anhydrase inhibitor tested possessed significant, acute, anti-inflammatory activity in the carrageenan-paw oedema test. The activity of carbonic anhydrase inhibitors in the chronic model of inflammation may be due to their reported inhibition of bone resorption.