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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2026 Aug 2.
Published in final edited form as: J Autoimmun. 2026 Jul 20;163:103597. doi: 10.1016/j.jaut.2026.103597

Figure 1. Effects of NC-TAC on CD4 T cell proliferation and apoptosis.

Figure 1.

CD4 T cells were isolated from the peripheral blood of AIH patients and healthy subjects (HS) and tested for their ability to proliferate in the presence of Dynabeads Human T activator CD3/CD28, IL-2 and vehicle, empty nanocapsules (NC), tacrolimus (TAC)-loaded NC (NC-TAC) or unencapsulated TAC. Cell proliferation was assessed using CellTiter 96 Aqueous One Solution Cell Proliferation Assay and measured as absorbance at 490 nm. (A-B) Violin plots showing the absorbance at 490 nm of CD4 T cells in the presence of vehicle, NC, NC-TAC or TAC (HS, n=5; AIH, n=7). Early and late apoptotic CD4 T cells were detected as Annexin V+ (early apoptotic) and Annexin V+/Propidium Iodide+ (late apoptotic) lymphocytes by flow cytometry. Violin plots representing the frequency of (C-D) early apoptotic and (E-F) late apoptotic CD4 T cells in the presence of vehicle, NC, NC-TAC or TAC (HS, n=5; AIH, n=5). *P≤0.05; **P≤0.01; ***P≤0.001 (one-way ANOVA test followed by Tukey’s multiple comparisons test). In each violin plot, median and quartiles are shown. In AIH, addition of NC-TAC controls the proliferation of CD4 T lymphocytes, leaving the frequency of apoptotic cells substantially unchanged.