Figure 1
Influence of exposure to IR fibres on daily arthritis score, paw edema and burrowing behaviour in CIA-affected rats. (A) Line graph shows daily arthritis score from the 12th–22nd day post-immunisation (d.p.i.) in CIA rats housed in cages with IR-fibre bedding (+IRF rats) or in cages with standard wooden shaving bedding (−IRF rats). Of note, rats were transferred to cages with IR fibre bedding five days before immunization. Scatter plot indicates CIA-induced increase in hind paw volume (dV) in +IRF and −IRF rats. Bar graph shows the dV reduction (%) in +IRF rats relative to −IRF rats (see Material and Methods). Photographs show representative arthritic front and hind paw joints from rat with CIA. (B) Scatter plot indicates the burrowing activity (BA) of each +IRF and −IRF rat expressed as the percentage of the BA before immunisation (basal activity). Bar graph shows the increase in BA (%) in +IRF rats relative to −IRF rats (see Material and Methods). All graphs were created using GraphPad Prism version 7.00 for Windows, GraphPad Software, La Jolla, California, USA (https://www.graphpad.com). Photograph shows a cage-burrow setup and burrowed gravel. Results are expressed as mean ± SEM. n = 10 rats/group. * p ≤ 0.05 and ** p ≤ 0.01.
