Figure 4
Administration of protease-activated kringles 1–5 (K1–5) reduces joint destruction in collagen-induced arthritis. From the day of arthritis onset, mice were treated intraperitoneally each day with vehicle (phosphate-buffered saline [PBS]; n = 15), K1–5 at a dose of 0.2 mg/kg (n = 8) or K1–5 at a dose of 2 mg/kg (n = 13), or were left untreated (n = 8). On day 10 of arthritis, paws were fixed and stained with haematoxylin and eosin for histological assessment. Data are expressed as percentages of joints exhibiting normal, mild, moderate and severe inflammation and bone/cartilage degradation. Data were analyzed using χ2 test for trend: P < 0.001 for mice treated with 2 mg/kg K1–5, versus untreated mice and mice treated with 0.2 mg/kg K1–5; P < 0.01 for mice treated with 2 mg/kg K1–5, versus vehicle-treated mice.