Fig. 3. MSCs attenuate CHS partially through the STC2-dependent CD8⁺ Tc1 cells reduction in cervical lymph nodes.

In mice, CHS reactions were induced with 0.5% DNFB in acetone/olive oil (4:1). MSC^shNTC or MSC^shSTC2 (1×10⁶ per mouse) were injected via the tail vein after sensitization. Forty-eight hours post-challenge, ear and cervical lymph nodes (LN) samples were collected for analysis. a Representative photos of ears from mice in different groups. b Ear thickness (n = 6) was measured in the different experimental groups at the indicated times post-challenge. c Representative images of H&E-stained ear samples from mice in different groups, scale bar, 200 μm. d Representative plots of IFN-γ-producing CD8⁺ T cells within cervical LN cells, and bar chart showed the quantification. e The correlation analysis between the CD8⁺ effector T cells and the ear thickness of CHS mice. Data are presented as the mean ± SEM (n = 4). Statistically significant differences are indicated as follows: *p < 0.05 and **p < 0.01