FIG. 5.

OPN neutralization decreases hepatic inflammation. Obese high-fat diet–fed (HF) mice were treated with OPN-neutralizing (Anti-OPN) or control (n = 8 per group) antibody. Hepatic expression of genes for the inflammatory cytokines TNF-α (Tnf) (A) and TGF-β1 (Tgfb1) (B), the anti-inflammatory IL-10 (Il10) (C), and for the macrophage marker F4/80 (Emr1) (D) was analyzed by real-time RT-PCR. The mean of Control was set to 100%. E–G: Hepatic macrophage accumulation and apoptosis. E: Macrophages were stained red by immunoflourescence using Mac-2 monoclonal antibody on frozen sections of livers isolated from high-fat diet–fed mice after anti-OPN or control treatment. Apoptotic cells were determined by TUNEL staining (green). Representative pictures are given in 40-fold magnification. F: Hepatic macrophages were counted as Mac-2⁺ cells relative to total number of cells. G: Quantification of apoptotic macrophages (TUNEL and Mac-2 double-positive cells per Mac-2–positive cells). The mean of Control was set to 100%. *P ≤ 0.05; **P ≤ 0.01. (A high-quality color representation of this figure is available in the online issue.)