抄録
Polysaccharide 70% deacetylated chitin (DAC-70) possessing some immunopotential is a derivative of beta-poly-N-acetyl D-glucosamine chitin. In this study, examination was made of the effects of systemic DAC-70 over a period of four months on knee joints of MRL/lpr mice, the sites of SLE and RA-like arthritis. In 54% of the non treated mice (n=13), severe pannus formation and cartilage destruction were evident and in 38% of these animals, synovial hyperplasia and/or proliferation with inflammatory infiltration and distinct cartilage erosion could be seen. 56% of DAC-70 treated mice (n=9) showed virtually no synovial inflammatory change; the cartilage was nearly intact and in 33% of the animals, there was only mild cartilage erosion, with only one mouse (11%) showing pannus formation and cartilage destruction. All the mice (n=9) on the low nutrition diet had intact joints. This agent is thus shown effective for lessening RA joint destruction and possibly may thus also be used for safely treating human RA patients.
