OP0023 Low Salt Diet Ameliorates Collagen-Induced Arthritis

BackgroundThere is a complex relationship between nutrition and the immune system, which is only partially understood. Especially, the impact of nutrition on inflammatory autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis (RA) requires further investigations. It was recently shown that an increased salt intake aggravates the clinical symptoms in an animal model of multiple sclerosis by inducing pathogenic Th17 cells [1]. However the effect of dietary factors such as low salt consumption on the inflammatory status in arthritis is poorly investigated.ObjectivesIn this study we examined the effect of low salt diet in a mouse model of arthritis and identified its underlying mechanisms.MethodsTwo weeks before immunization with bovine type II collagen (bCII) in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) the experimental diet was started in DBA/1 mice. The low salt group (n=9) received a diet containing a sodium content