B1/ A. DEAN STEELE A h D DANIEL J. h j C C A x I Y JR.
H E IDENTIFICATION OF SODIUM
T UHATE CRYSTALS in the joint fluid of gouty patients by McCarty and Hollantier' has rekindled interest in their role in inflammation. Faires and NfcCarty2 induced a11 acute inflammatory response in normal liriman and canine joints by intra-articular injection of microcrystalline sodium urate. Scegmiller, Howell, and Malawista3 noted a similar reaction following intra-articular iiratca injection into the joints of gcuty patients. This response i s acute, nonspecific, reversible, and dose related. These recent findings confirm the older reports by Freudweiler and His."-" The induction of such a response in normal humans, using a standard crystal dose, provides an experimental model of inflammation.
Itr this study, several simple technics were used to quantify the reaction to intraai-ticular injection of microcrystalline sotlinm urate. The effect of pretreatment with methyl-prednisolone, phenylbutazone, as- pirin, and colchicine was determined.
YIATERIALS AND METHODS
Subjects: ,411 subjects were normal, young (20-40 prnrs ) m;ile volimteers with no history of previous .. Only those with normal knee joint roentgenograms, no past or present signs or symptoms of arthritis, and normal serum urate levels ( <S.5 ing./100 inl.) were studied. I rrute crystnls: Sodium urate monohydrate miero-crystals averaging 1-3 microns in length, synthesized by methods previously described,7 were kept in suspension in sterile vials." Each vial contained 20 ing. of crystals in 1 ml. of isotonic salinr.