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American Journal of Pathology, Vol 132, 258-264, Copyright © 1988 by American Society for Investigative Pathology

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Mast cell activation by group A streptococcal polysaccharide in the rat and its role in experimental arthritis

FG Dalldorf, SK Anderle, RR Brown and JH Schwab
Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27514.

Acute edematous responses were induced in Sprague-Dawley rats by the intravenous injection of group-specific polysaccharide (PS) isolated from group A streptococci. Thirty minutes after the intravenous injection of PS there was marked degranulation of subcutaneous and periarticular mast cells in all 4 feet, carbon particle labeling of adjacent venules, and an 8-fold increase in Evans blue dye content of the extremities. This acute reaction to PS was completely blocked by pretreatment with compound 48/80, but the polyarticular relapsing arthritis following the systemic injection of an arthropathic dose of streptococcal cell wall fragments containing large, covalently bound peptidoglycan-polysaccharide (PG-PS) was not blocked.