Toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 accelerated collagen-induced arthritis in mice.

The aim of this study was to explore the roles of toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). DBA/1 mice were immunized with type II collagen (CII) and treated with TSST-1. Intraperitoneal and intravenous injections of TSST-1 aggravated CIA, enhancing its incidence and severity. CIA was accompanied by an increase in anti-CII IgG Ab levels. Intraperitoneal administration with TSST-1 enhanced IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, and IL-4 production in DBA/1 mice. We discovered the mRNA expressions of IFN-gamma, IL-2, TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and iNOS in spleen cells stimulated with TSST-1 in vitro. However, IL-12 and IL-4 mRNA expression were seen constitutively without stimulation. Only a little increase of IL-12 and IL-4 mRNA expression was seen at 2-3 h after treatment with TSST-1. Our experiments demonstrated that CIA was aggravated by the treatment with TSST-1, which may have induced various proinflammatory cytokines and the production of both Th1 and Th2 cytokines.