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Treatment options for rheumatoid arthritis range from symptomatic approaches to modern molecular interventions such as inhibition of inflammatory mediators. Inhibition of inflammation by platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) has been proposed as a treatment for tendinitis and osteoarthritis. The present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of PRP on antigen‐induced arthritis (AIA) of the knee joint in a large animal model.

Six‐month‐old pigs (n = 10) were systemically immunized by bovine serum albumin (BSA) injection, and arthritis was induced by intraarticular BSA injection. PRP was injected into the knee joints of 5 of the animals after 2 weeks. An additional 5 animals received no systemic immunization (controls). Signs of arthritis were documented by plain histologic analysis, Safranin O staining, and immunohistochemistry analysis for type II collagen (CII), interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), and vascular …