Fig 1. HEX alleviates S. aureus-induced mastitis.

A-B. The content of HEX in rumen fluid from healthy cows (HR), cows with SARA-associated mastitis (SR), and in milk from healthy cows (HM) and SARA-associated mastitis cows (SM) was measured (n = 6). C-H. Mice were continuously administered HEX (1.25, 2.5, 5 mg/kg) via gavage for 15 days and then infected with S. aureus (10⁸ CFU/50 μL) for 24 h. The mammary gland tissue was subsequently collected. C. The concentration of S. aureus in the mammary gland was determined by plate coating (n = 5). D-E. Representative images of H&E-stained mammary gland (scale bar: 50 μm) and the inflammatory score (n = 5). Black arrows indicate the infiltration of inflammatory cells. F. MPO activity of the mammary glands was assessed using the MPO assay kit (n = 5). G-H. The levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in the mammary glands from different groups are shown (n = 5). Data are presented as boxplots (A-B) or means ± SD (C and E-H). The Mann-Whitney U test (A-B) and one-way ANOVA (C and E-H) were performed for statistical analysis. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, and ***p < 0.001 indicate statistical significance.