Objective. To examine the capacity of T cell interleukin-17A (IL-17A; referred to hereinafter as IL-17) to induce cartilage damage during experimental arthritis in the absence of IL-1.Methods. Local IL-17 gene transfer was performed in the knee joint of IL-1-deficient mice and wild-type controls during streptococcal cell wall (SCW)-induced arthritis. Knee joints were isolated at various time points for histologic analysis of cartilage proteoglycan (PG) depletion. Expression of messenger RNA for inducible nitric oxide synthase, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) 3, 9, and 13, and ADAMTS-4 was determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. VDIPEN staining was analyzed to study MMPmediated cartilage damage. In addition, systemic anti-IL-1␣/ antibody treatment was performed in mice immunized with type II collagen and injected locally with an adenoviral vector expressing IL-17 or with control adenovirus. Knee joints were isolated and analyzed for cartilage PG depletion, chondrocyte death, and cartilage surface erosion. Conclusion. These data show the capacity of IL-17 to replace the catabolic function of IL-1 in cartilage damage during experimental arthritis.
Results. During SCW-induced arthritis