Fig. 3.
The effect of HgCl2 on the in vitro heat-killed Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (hk-SE)-stimulated release of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α (a), interleukin (IL)-6 (b), interferon (IFN)-γ (c) and IL-10 (d) by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Data of 10 samples, each with three replicates, are demonstrated. T helper 1 (Th1)/Th2 ratios were evaluated from %IFN-γ/%IL-10 ratio (e). Symbols above each plot show whether, at each dose, cytokine release was significantly stimulated (#) or suppressed (*) compared with the controls (P < 0·05 in Wilcoxon's rank test).