Type II collagen-induced auricular chondritis.

Sensitization to type II collagen induced inflammatory destruction of elastic ear cartilage, as well as arthritis, in Sprague-Dawley rats. This auricular lesion morphologically resembled relapsing polychondritis in humans. Moreover, in the experimental model, as has been reported in human disease, extraarticular chondritis occurred in the context of immunologic sensitivity to native type II collagen. These similarities suggest that type II collagen-induced auricular chondritis may provide insights about the pathogenesis of relapsing polychondritis.