The living organisms use defensive mechanisms in their struggle to keep the inner
homeostasis and potect themselves from the changes induced by external factors and penetrative
agents. The manifestation of these changes depends on the character, the intensity and the duration of
the agents’ activity, and on the physiological characteristics of the organism (gender, age, health
condition etc.).
The aim of our study was to analyze, the effects of collagen-induced arthritis (that is, the
autoimmune reaction and the inflammation) on some liver parameters. We determined the content of
proteins, DNA and RNA. Animals with collagen-induced arthritis showed decreased relative content
of proteins in liver, compared to controls. On the contrary, the relative content of DNA and RNA were
increased in animals treated with collagen.
Кеywords: rheumatoid arthritis, collagen-induced arthritis, inflamation, Wistar rats, proteins,
DNA, RNA, serum.
Introduction
