Fig. 7. Protection against M.tb H37Rv infection induced by different plasmid DNA including DNA/Ags vaccination.
The different vaccinated mice received an intratracheal 5×105 CFU of M.tb H37Rv challenge for 4 weeks, and the bacterial loads in the lungs (A) and spleens (B) of the mice were determined. Data were shown as mean ± SEM (n = 10), performed in triplicate. C: The sections from lung tissues were stained with HE, and evaluated for the lung inflammation (100×). **P < 0.01, vs. PBS, pIRES or pIRES-FL group, separately. Other significant differences were displayed in the figures directly (A, B). D: Representative sections of the lung tissue from mice immunized with different plasmids (100×). E: The infiltration of CD3+ T cells was observed by immunohistochemistry staining so as to evaluate the inflammation response of the lung. **P < 0.01, vs. PBS, pIRES or pIRES-FL group, separately; ΔΔP < 0.01, indicating DNA/Ags vs. the corresponding DNA group. F: The infiltration of F4/80+ macrophages was observed by immunohistochemistry in order to evaluate the inflammation response of the lung. Individual experiments were conducted 3 times, with one representation shown (200×).