Fig 4. Time course of serum inflammatory cytokine concentrations during experiment.

Serum concentrations of interleukin (IL)-8 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α expressed as % of the mean baseline value measured by enzyme-linked immune-sorbent assay at baseline (100%; 24 hours before bacterial airway challenge), just before intra-tracheal instillation of 10⁹ CFU of S. aureus (H0), and then 8 (H8) and 24 hours (H24) after instillation, in the spontaneously breathing (A) and the mechanically ventilated animals (B). Concentrations measured in non-infected controls are shown in panel C. Variables were compared at each time-point with Mann-Whitney U test and p values were adjusted for multiple comparisons. (A): (left) * denotes p = 0.014 between rabbits treated with atorvastatin vs. untreated animals, and ** denotes p = 0.027 between rabbits treated with LNZ+atorvastatin vs. untreated animals; (right) * denotes p = 0.049 between rabbits treated with LNZ vs. untreated animals, and ** denotes p = 0.006 between rabbits treated with LNZ+atorvastatin vs. untreated animals. (B): (left) * denotes p = 0.004 between rabbits treated with atorvastatin vs. untreated animals, ** denotes p = 0.003 between rabbits treated with LNZ vs. untreated animals, and *** denotes p = 0.014 between rabbits treated with LNZ+atorvastatin vs. untreated animals; (right) * denotes p = 0.034 between rabbits treated with atorvastatin vs. untreated animals, ** denotes p = 0.013 between rabbits treated with LNZ vs. untreated animals, and *** denotes p = 0.002 between rabbits treated with LNZ+atorvastatin vs. untreated animals. CFU: colony forming unit; MRSA: methicillin-resistant S. aureus; LNZ: linezolid; SB: spontaneously breathing; MV: mechanical ventilation. CFU: colony forming unit; MRSA: methicilline-resistant S. aureus; LNZ: linezolid; SB: spontaneously breathing; MV: mechanical ventilation; IQR: interquartile range.