Prevention of Autoimmune Inflammatory Polyarthritis in Male New Zealand Black/KN Mice by Transplantation of Bone Marrow Cells Plus Bone (stromal Cells)

Objective: To prevent polyarthritis in male New Zealand black/KN (NZB/KN) mice by transplantation of both bone marrow cells (BMC) and bone (to recruit stromal cells) from normal mice.

Methods: Arthritic lesions in male NZB/KN mice injected intravenously with BMC plus bone from C57Bl/10 mice were compared with those in untreated male NZB/KN mice.

Results: Male NZB/KN mice engrafted with BMC plus bone were both radiologically and histopathologically normal, and had decreased production of anti-single-stranded DNA antibodies and rheumatoid factors at 8-12 months of age.

Conclusion: Bone marrow transplantation prevented polyarthritis in male NZB/KN mice.