EFFECT OF COLLAGEN INDUCED ARTHRITIS ON ANTISTREPTOLYSIN TEST IN THE WHITE LABORATORY RAT

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a serious health challenge as a disease with serious health consequences andthe potential to result in permanent disability. Most of the authors state that the reason for the occurrence of thedisease and its persistence is multifactorial, but above all it is a genetic predisposition as a result of the disruption ofthe control mechanisms of the immune system. The disease can occur at any age, but it is most common in patientsover sixty years of age who suffer from damage to the joints, resulting in impaired locomotion, reduced workcapacity, unproductive and poor quality of life. Animal models in RA disease research are useful for studying andevaluating the effect of potential antiarthritic drugs. The study of the disease in animal models provides usefulinformation about rheumatoid diseases and RA in humans because of the great similarity in their onset anddevelopment.Our research aimed to see how collagen type-II induced arthritis would cause an effect on the immune system andinter alia on ASTO in Wistar rats of both sexes, on the thirtieth and sixtieth days of immunization. ASTO is alsoused to diagnose RA secondary to streptococcal infections. Wistar rats, healthy seven-week-old male and femaleanimals, bred according to standard conditions for experimental animals at the laboratory animal farm at PMFSkopjewere used for the research. The experimental animals were divided into four groups; control group of maleanimals (n=20), control group of female animals (n=20), experimental group of male animals (n=30), which weretreated with collagen type-II and experimental group of female animals (n=30), which were also treated withcollagen. Analyzes of aliquots were performed on the thirtieth and sixtieth day of the test. We apply the highlypurified collagen type-II according to a defined protocol in the joint of the back right leg. We took blood for analysison the thirtieth and sixtieth day after immunization. The ASTO samples were tested on the computerized andthermostated Mini NEF TM Duinding Fait apparatus. The principle of the method is based on the fact thatpathogenic beta-hemolytic streptococci of group A produce streptolysin O, which stimulate the body to produceantistreptolysin. A titer greater than 1/200 is a positive value. From the studies that were done on the influence ofcollagen induced arthritis type-II on the value of ASTO in both sexes of animals, in both experimental periods, it canbe concluded that they are within the limits of normal values in all groups and in both sexes. All were <59,430IU/ml. In general, these studies of RA performed in animal models provide a good parallel for the course anddevelopment of RA in the human population.