Resistance to therapy in mature palmerston north mice treated with cyclophosphamide or hydrocortisone sodium succinate

Abstract

Inbred Palmerston North (PN) mice are a newly reconized model of systemic lupus erythematosus.In this study PN mice with established autoimmune disease were treated until death with cyclophosphamide (8 mg/kg/day) or hydrocortisone (10 mg/kg/day). These doses had previously been found to prevent or suppress disease in another lupus model, the NZB/NZW mouse. In the PN strain, autoantibodies, severity of glomerulo-nephritis, and longevity were not influenced by treatment. Furthermore, the incidence of neoplasms was not increased in PN mice receiving prolonged therapy with immunosuppressive drugs. Unlike NZB/NZW mice, PN mice were resistant to the effects of cyclophomide and hydrocortisone.