Figure 6.

Macrophage ablation results in altered cytokine expression. DTR transgenic mice were subjected to excisional wounding and either left untreated (NT) or treated with DT. Wounds collected on day 5 postinjury were processed for either RNA or protein analysis and levels of TNF-α, TGF-β1, and VEGF mRNA and protein were assessed by RT-PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. Top: densitometric values for target mRNA levels were normalized to those for glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) mRNA levels and then to similarly normalized values for noninjured control samples. Bottom: protein levels expressed as picograms of protein in the total wound homogenate. Data are presented as means ± SE; n = 4 mice/group. *P < 0.05 when compared to nontreated controls.