FIG 7 .

Macrophage activation by CATH-2-treated S. aureus. (A and B) J774.A1 macrophages were stimulated with 3 × 10⁷ CFU/ml S. aureus, either live (A) or heat killed (B), for 2 h in the presence or absence of indicated CATH-2 concentrations in DMEM + 10% FCS at 37°C, after which TNF-α release was determined by ELISA. (C) Colony count assay to determine S. aureus viability. Incubation of 3 × 10⁷ CFU/ml S. aureus for 2 h in DMEM + 10% FCS at 37°C in the presence or absence of indicated CATH-2 concentrations, after which bacteria were spread plated to determine viability after overnight incubation. Mean values ± SEM for n ≥ 3 experiments are shown. *, P < 0.05; **, P < 0.01; ***, P < 0.001; <<, lower than detection limit.