Journal of Autoimmunity (1995) 8, 751–761
Induction of Type II Collagen Arthritis in the DA
Rat Using Silicone Gels and Oils as Adjuvant
John O. Naim*†‡, Kim M. L. Ippolito*, Raymond J. Lanzafame*†
and Carel J. van Oss‡
*Department of Surgery, Rochester General Hospital and †The University of Rochester,
School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY; ‡Department of Microbiology,
SUNY at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
(Received 4 November 1994 and accepted 15 May 1995)
The relative safety (or otherwise) of silicone gel filled breast implants
remains a controversial issue. The Dark Agouti (DA) rat has been shown
recently to have a high susceptibility for developing arthritis. This study
determined the arthritogenic potential of silicone gel, silicone oil, and the
low molecular weight octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4), by either mixing
it with bovine collagen II (BII) or by injecting silicone gel alone in DA rats.
Three separate experiments were performed using 110 female DA rats with
10 rats per treatment group. The incidence of collagen induced arthritis
was as follows: Experiment I (6 g BII)- PBS=0/10, silicone gel=4/10,
and IFA=8/9; Experiment II (125 g BII)- PBS=0/10, silicone gel=7/10,
IFA=10/10, 1,000 cs silicone oil=3/10, D4=0/10, and 1% D4 in 1,000 cs
silicone oil=1/10; Experiment III (adjuvant alone)-IFA=8/10, silicone
gel=0/10. Anti-BII antibodies were formed in most of the rats treated
with either silicone gel or IFA mixed with BII and these groups of rats
showed a positive DTH reaction. The PBS treated rats were negative for
both anti-BII antibodies and DTH reaction. Silicone gel taken from a
commercial breast implant thus is capable of mediating collagen induced
arthritis in the DA rat. However, silicone gel alone does not appear to be
arthritogenic.
1995 Academic Press Limited
Introduction
The safety (or otherwise) of silicone breast implants remains a controversial issue.
Many anecdotal case reports have appeared in the literature showing an association
of connective tissue diseases (i.e. scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, polymyositis,
Correspondence to: John O. Naim, Ph.D., Department of Surgery, Rochester General Hospital,
1425 Portland Avenue, Rochester, NY 14621, USA.
751
0896–8411/95/050751+11 $12.00/0 1995 Academic Press Limited