Figure 4.

Kupffer cell ablation results in loss of hepatic bacterial clearance. (A) After pretreatment with GdCl₃, livers were harvested and stained with F4/80 macrophage antibody. Compared with control, there were decreased macrophages in the GdCl₃-treated liver. (B) After pretreatment with GdCl₃, mice were infected with PA103 10³ cfu (mild bacteremia) and killed at 4 and 16 h. Control animals received PBS followed by PA103 10³ cfu. Pretreatment with GdCl₃ resulted in impaired bacterial clearance at 4 and 16 h compared with mild bacteremia (*p < 0.01). Solid bars, PV; cross-hatched bars, RV. (C) At 4 h, serum ALT was increased in mice treated with mild bacteremia alone compared with mice treated with GdCl₃ mice (*p < 0.001). In mice treated with GdCl₃, there was increased ALT at 16 h compared with 4 h (**p < 0.001). Hepatic caspase-3 activity increased in mice treated with GdCl₃ at 16 h compared with mice treated with mild bacteremia alone (*p < 0.001). (D) TNF-α was measured in liver lysates. There was significantly less TNF-α in the liver in mice treated with GdCl₃at 4 h compared with mice treated with mild bacteremia alone (*p < 0.001). C, D: solid bars, mild bacteremia; open bars, gadolinium + mild bacteremia.