Fig. 3.

Activation of leukocytes and endothelial cells by ROFA is reversed by blockade of the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α. C57BL/6J mice were exposed to saline or a suspension containing ROFA particles (1 mg/kg body weight) by i.n. instillation, and plasma levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines were quantified by a cytometric bead array (a). Isolated myeloid and endothelial cells were incubated in vitro with conditioned plasma (1 % v/v) from saline- or ROFA-exposed mice in the presence or absence of a blocking anti-TNF-α antibody (10 μg/ml). After 24 h, the abundance of the CD11b activation epitope CBRM1/5 was quantified by flow cytometry in myeloid cells (b). On endothelial cells, expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 was determined by flow cytometry (c). Data are presented as mean ± SEM from at least nine mice per group (a) and from at least three independent experiments (b, c)