In Vivo Inhibition of Angiogenesis by Interleukin-13 Gene Therapy in a Rat Model of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

The article presents a study which aimed to use a gene therapy approach to examine the role of interleukin-13 (IL-13) in angiogenesis in vivo, using a rat adjuvant-induced arthritis model of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In the study, ankle joints of female rats were injected preventatively with an adenovirus vector containing human IL-13 (AxCAIL-13), a control vector with no insert (AxCANI) or phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Results of the study showed AxCAIL-13-treated joint homogenates had lower hemoglobin levels, suggesting reduced joint vascularity.