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Photodynamic therapy (PDT) using benzoporphyrin derivative, monoacid ring A (BPD), and transdermal light was able to significantly treat symptoms of adjuvant-enhanced arthritis in MRL-lpr mice. Clinical and histological evaluation showed that PDT was able to modify the progression of adjuvant-enhanced arthritis up to 10 days after induction. When PDT was used on arthritic joints displaying swelling, it prevented further deterioration of clinical symptoms (76%, 16/21). However, it did not significantly effect the histopathologic parameters. As we have previously reported that mitogen activated MRL-lpr splenocytes were shown to be more susceptible to in vitro PDT we postulate that our findings reflect a selective destruction of adjuvant activated lymphocytes in the circulation and/or joints. The application of PDT to eliminate activated cells responsible for the inflammatory reaction at the arthritic site may have significant clinical implications for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
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