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. 2013 Sep 4;8(9):e74955. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0074955

Figure 3. Mice Depleted of Tregs had aggravated cardiac fibrosis.

Figure 3

(A) Groups of 5 mice were treated with 8 doses of 0.1 mg anti-CD25 or isotype mAb via intraperitoneal injection during the course of CVB3 infection to deplete Tregs. The peripheral Treg frequency at wk 1 was determined to confirm the depletion effect. Graph representative of three independent experiments. Relative numbers of Treg frequency are represent as the mean ±SEM. (B) 4 wks after CVB3 infection, mRNA levels of collagen I, TIMP-1 and relative expression of TIMP-1/MMP-1 as well as TIMP-1/MMP-3 in the heart tissues were detected. Data are from one representative experiment of three performed ones and represent as the mean ±SEM. (C) Representative Picrosirius-red stained heart sections (magnification: 200×) and the collagen volume fraction (CVF) at week 4. Data represent the mean ± SEM. Arrows indicate myocardial interstitial and perivascular fibrosis. Individual experiments were performed three times with similar results. *, P<0.05 compared to mice receiving isotype Ab.