Figure 4.

Effects of HDL on the engulfment of M. avium by THP-1 macrophages. (a) THP-1 macrophages (10⁶/well) were cultured with FITC-conjugated M. avium or E. coli in the presence or absence (control) of HDL (50 μg protein/mL), apoA-I (50 μg/mL), or BSA (50 μg/mL) for 24 h. After extensive washing and quenching of extracellular bacteria, the cells were subjected to flow cytometric analysis. Representative scatter profiles are presented. (b) The percentages of FITC-positive cells compared to the control using FITC-M. avium or FITC-E. coli were quantitatively compared. The values were indicated by mean ± SEM (n = 3, ^∗ P < 0.05, ^∗∗ P < 0.01). NS: not significant.