Incomplete Deletion of IL-4Rα by LysMCre Reveals Distinct Subsets of M2 Macrophages Controlling Inflammation and Fibrosis in Chronic Schistosomiasis
Figure 2
Inflammation but not fibrosis is exacerbated in chronically infected IL-4Rαflox/ΔLysMCre mice.
IL-4Rαflox/ΔLysMCre mice and IL-4Rαflox/Δ littermate controls were infected percutaneously with 35 S. mansoni cercariae. A–C. Representative 10× images of granuloma formation 9 weeks and 16 weeks post-infection from (A) hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections of intestinal tissue, (B) Giemsa-stained sections of liver tissue, or (C) picrosirius red-stained sections of liver tissue. D. Liver granuloma size in IL-4Rαflox/ΔLysMCre (open bars) and IL-4Rαflox/Δ littermate control (solid bars) mice. E. Liver fibrosis was assessed by hydroxyproline content, normalized to mass or worm pairs recovered by perfusion of infected mice through the portal vein. Data shown are mean ±SEM and represent two independent experiments (n = 15, ns = not significant).