Figure 4.

Aberrant expression levels of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in M1/M2 macrophages during the transition from ulcerative colitis to colorectal carcinoma metastasis. Colorectal M1/M2 macrophages were cultured for 24 h at 37°C in an atmosphere containing 5% CO₂, and the culture supernatant was collected to determine the secreted cytokine levels, by ELISA. Representative data from at least three independent experiments are shown. ^*P<0.05. White bars, control group; black bars, AOM/DSS group; IL, interleukin; TNFa, tumor necrosis factor-α; AOM/DSS, azoxymethane/dextran sodium sulfate.