Figure 4

Administration of Ad-BHV1gG reduces the severity of K/BxN serum-induced arthritis in mice. (A) clinical scores of Ad-BHV1gG-Ig-treated or Ad-LacZ-treated mice with K/BxN serum-induced arthritis (Expt 1: average area under curve: Ad-BHV1gG-Ig-treated versus Ad-LacZ-treated = 49.9 ± 51.5 versus 142.8 ± 61.6, mean ± standard deviation; P = 0.0317). (B) clinical scores Expt 2. (C) average ankle diameters presented as percentage of baseline measurements of Ad-BHV1gG-Ig-treated or Ad-LacZ-treated mice with K/BxN serum-induced arthritis (Expt1: average area under curve: Ad-BHV1gG-Ig-treated versus Ad-LacZ-treated = 2286.6 ± 53.6 versus 2465.2 ± 121.4, mean ± standard deviation; P = 0.0159). (D) ankle diameters Expt 2. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.001. (E, F) Representative pictures of front and hind paws of the mice from Expt 1 after at d 27 after the injection of K/BxN serum and treatment with either control Ad-LacZ (E) or Ad-BHVgG-Ig (F). H and E staining of ankles shows joint space narrowing and inflammatory infiltrates in the Ad-LacZ-treated ankles but not in the ankles of Ad-BHV1gG-Ig-treated mice. Synovial hyperplasia scores (scored from 1 to 3) are 1.4 ± 1.4 in the controls and 0 ± 0 in the treated mice; P = 0.04). Bars in the histologic pictures represent 50 µm. (G) Real-time PCR analysis of dissected synovium from naïve and K/BxN serum-induced mice at Day 5 *P < 0.05 compared with naïve controls.