Fig. 3. Quantitative analysis of OVA uptake by iDCs.

Monocyte-derived iDCs were cultured for 3 days under static or RPM conditions in loose and dense matrices. FITC-labeled OVA was added to iDCs under their respective conditions for 1 h. a Representative image of iDCs cultured in a dense matrix under RPM conditions after 1 h of incubation with FITC-OVA. The scale bar represents 5 µm. b Representative histogram of fluorescence intensity of samples cultured under the different conditions following a 1-h incubation with FITC-OVA analyzed using flow cytometry. Control samples were cultured in the relative conditions with no FITC-OVA added. c Uptake of FITC-OVA calculated as the log₂-fold change in geometric mean fluorescence intensity (gMFI) using flow cytometry. d Log₂-fold change analysis of surface markers associated with uptake, namely, CD206, using flow cytometry. Log₂-fold change was calculated relative to samples cultured in loose matrices under static conditions. Experiments were performed with at least four replicates. The box and whiskers graphs used have the center line at the median value. The upper and lower bounds of the box extend from the 25th to 75th percentiles, and the whiskers are plotted to the minimum and maximum values. * indicates significance at p ≤ 0.05.