Adjuvant polyarthritis. VI. Effect of oxonate-induced hyperuricemia on the development of acute inflammation, immune response and adjuvant arthritis.

In humans, there is a negative correlation between gout and rheumatoid arthritis. Similarly, rats rendered hyperuricemic by an oxonate diet appeared resistant to develop adjuvant arthritis. These animals exhibited a normal inflammatory response to a subplantar injection of carrageenin and normal humoral and cell-mediated immune responses to a sensitizing dose of EL4 cells. However, unlike that of normal animals, the cell-mediated immune system of the oxonate-treated rats was found to be unable to respond to adjuvant stimulation, which may be the basis for their resistance to develop adjuvant disease.