Figure 3. Depletion of Tregs affects cellular composition of atheroma.

(A) Representative fluorescence micrographs depicting eGFP⁺FOXP3⁺ cells (arrowheads) and eGFP^–FOXP3⁺ (arrows) cells in aortic lesions of DEREG/Ldlr^–/– mice treated for 8 weeks with PBS or DT. Anti-GFP was labeled with AlexaFluor 488 (green), anti-FOXP3 with AlexaFluor 555 (red), and nuclei with DAPI (blue). (B) Quantitation of immunohistochemical staining for T cells (CD3⁺), Tregs (FOXP3⁺), and I-A^b–expressing (MHCII-expressing) cells (all expressed as stained cells per lesion area) in the proximal aorta of chimeric DEREG/Ldlr^–/– mice treated for 8 weeks with DT or PBS; n = 7–8 mice per group. (C) Quantitation of immunohistochemical staining for macrophages (CD68⁺), dendritic cells (CD11c⁺), and expression of the adhesion molecule VCAM-1 (all expressed as stained area per lesion area) in the aortic sinus of chimeric DEREG/Ldlr^–/– mice treated for 8 weeks with DT or PBS; n = 7–8 mice per group. (D) Cellularity of atherosclerotic lesions (DAPI⁺ nuclei per lesion area) in the proximal aorta of chimeric DEREG/Ldlr^–/– mice treated for 8 weeks with PBS or DT; n = 7–8 mice per group. (E) Necrotic core area relative to total atherosclerotic lesion area in the proximal aorta of chimeric DEREG/Ldlr^–/– mice treated for 8 weeks with PBS or DT; n = 7–8 mice per group. *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01. Scale bars: 50 μm.