[Development of adjuvant arthritis in ozone-sensitized rats]

The severity of adjuvant arthritis (AA) was evaluated in rats preexposed to ozone, 1.0 mg/m3. In the early period (on days 1-7) after sensitization there was a retardation of AA, which was followed by a marked inflammatory process on day 60, which were complicated by ulcers on the joints in 80% of cases. Reductions in the mass of the body and lymphoid organs are typical both of the body mass which is affected by stress and in early inoculation of complete Freund' adjuvant and of thymus whose values change from 0.17 +/- 0.2% of the body weight to 0.08 +/- 0.002% in sensitized animals, and to 0.08 +/- 0.04% in AA. In thymic atrophy, ozone itself enhances a specific immunity and causes degenerative changes of polymorphonuclear neutrophils in the body. The values of these parameters depend on the severity of arthritis. In rats with complicated AA the count of antibody-forming cells is 999.7 +/- 57.0 and 409.6 +/- 33.6 in rats without ulcers. That of E-rosette-forming cells is 41.4 +/- 3.7 and 41.4 +/- 3.7 in the thymus, 55.4 +/- 3.2 and 71.6 +/- 2.2 in the spleen, respectively. The number of damaged polymorphonuclear neutrophils is 51.4 +/- 3.6 and 48.8 +/- 2.1 in these groups.