OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that nitric oxide (NO) is involved in the pathophysiology of arthritis. METHODS: Arthritis was induced in male Lewis rats by the injection of adjuvant into the base of the tail. The NO synthase (NOS) inhibitor, NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMA), was administered daily by the oral route for 19 days. Paw swelling, plasma fibrinogen levels, and urinary NO2/NO3 levels were measured to assess the effect of L-NMA on the arthritic response and whole-body NO production, respectively. On day 20, the ankle joints were processed for histopathologic evaluation. RESULTS: The onset of clinical symptoms was preceded by elevated biosynthesis of NO. In a dose-dependent manner, L-NMA inhibited both NO biosynthesis and paw swelling; histopathologic changes in the ankle joints were also prevented. D-NMA had no effect on the development of arthritis, while L-arginine reversed the effects of L-NMA. Fibrinogen levels in rats with arthritis were unaffected by L-NMA. CONCLUSION: NO is critical to the development of both the inflammatory and erosive components of adjuvant arthritis in rats. There may be a future clinical role for suitable inhibitors of NO production or activity.
OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that nitric oxide (NO) is involved in the pathophysiology of arthritis. METHODS:Arthritis was induced in male Lewis rats by the injection of adjuvant into the base of the tail. The NO synthase (NOS) inhibitor, NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMA), was administered daily by the oral route for 19 days. Paw swelling, plasma fibrinogen levels, and urinary NO2/NO3 levels were measured to assess the effect of L-NMA on the arthritic response and whole-body NO production, respectively. On day 20, the ankle joints were processed for histopathologic evaluation. RESULTS: The onset of clinical symptoms was preceded by elevated biosynthesis of NO. In a dose-dependent manner, L-NMA inhibited both NO biosynthesis and paw swelling; histopathologic changes in the ankle joints were also prevented. D-NMA had no effect on the development of arthritis, while L-arginine reversed the effects of L-NMA. Fibrinogen levels in rats with arthritis were unaffected by L-NMA. CONCLUSION: NO is critical to the development of both the inflammatory and erosive components of adjuvant arthritis in rats. There may be a future clinical role for suitable inhibitors of NO production or activity.
Authors: A R Amin; P Vyas; M Attur; J Leszczynska-Piziak; I R Patel; G Weissmann; S B Abramson Journal: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A Date: 1995-08-15 Impact factor: 11.205
Authors: H Sakurai; H Kohsaka; M F Liu; H Higashiyama; Y Hirata; K Kanno; I Saito; N Miyasaka Journal: J Clin Invest Date: 1995-11 Impact factor: 14.808
Authors: Mirna Marques Bezerra; Susan D Brain; Stan Greenacre; Selma Maria Bezerra Jerônimo; Liana Batista de Melo; Julie Keeble; Francisco Airton Castro da Rocha Journal: Br J Pharmacol Date: 2003-12-08 Impact factor: 8.739