Oral tolerance and OVA-induced tolerogenic dendritic cells reduce the severity of collagen/ovalbumin-induced arthritis in mice

► Oral tolerance to OVA modifies the clinical course of CIA induced in BALB/c mice by administration of CII + OVA. ► Ingestion of OVA reduced serum levels of anti-CII antibodies and specific T cell proliferation. ► DCs from tolerant mice were able to suppress the immune responses of T lymphocytes from arthritic mice. ► Adoptive transfer of OVA-pulsed DCs mimic oral tolerance, suppressing the clinical signs of arthritis.