VEGFA and rheumatoid arthritis: Intravenous administration of FK228 (2.5 mg/kg) suppressed VEGF expression and inhibited angiogenesis in synovial tissue analyzed from mice with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), a frequently used autoimmune animal model in the study of RA, as the signs of disease resemble features of human inflammatory arthritis and thus enable investigators to test hypothetical mechanisms of immune-mediated joint disease and examine the comparative efficacy of pending RA therapies during preclinical development.