[The testing of long-term antirheumatics in animals]

There is no group proof of long acting antirheumatics (LAA) in laboratory animal models, and it is not to be expected without an identical rheumatoid arthritis model in animals and with regard to the heterogeneity of LAA. However, LAA are to be detected according to D-penicillamine-like, levamisol-like etc. actions, which can be disclosed in the adjuvant arthritis as well as in the B. pertussis-vaccine pleuritis in rats the latter model best by including parameters of inflammatory exudate cells. Modification of the models or of model parameters (BCG-sensibilization, PPD reaction, vasoreactivity, RNA content of exudate cells, SH groups, copper zinc) are hardly advantageous, contrarily to dosage. Other models, among them paw edemas, do not permit sufficient testing of LAA, even not the methyl-albumin mice paw edema. There is no problem of pharmacologically separating LAA actions from nonsteroidal or steroidal antiphlogistics actions.