Leucocyte migration inhibition with collagen type I and collagen type III in rheumatoid arthritis and degenerative joint diseases.

The leucocytes of 22 patients with classic rheumatoid arthritis were investigated with the direct leucocyte migration inhibition technique in agarose as described by Clausen. The leucocytes of 9 patients with degenerative joint diseases and of 9 healthy persons served as controls. Collagen type I and collagen type III were used as antigens. The leucocytes of 22 patients with rheumatoid arthritis showed in 15 cases a migration inhibition with collagen type III and in 10 cases with collagen type I. The inhibition with collagen type III was stronger and more frequent than with collagen type I. The frequent leucocyte migration inhibition with collagen type III in classic rheumatoid arthritis seems to be an expression of possible cell mediated reactivity against that type of collagen which appears especially in rheumatoid synovial tissue.