Fig. 4.

Compared the therapeutic effects of PZQ or PZQ combination with Sj16 peptide in infected mice. a The experiment flow chart. Schistosoma japonicum-infected mice were administered with praziquantel (PZQ) alone (150 mg/kg/day for 3 days), Sj16 peptide alone (50 µg/d for 5 weeks), or combined (PZQ: 150 mg/kg/day for 3 days; Sj16 peptide: 50 µg/d for 5 weeks), respectively, at week 5 post-infection, and sacrificed at 10 weeks post-infection. b H&E staining of representative hepatic granulomas. Scale-bars: 100 μm. c Representative liver granulomas stained with Masson’s Trichrome (collagen in blue). Scale-bar: 100 μm. d Analysis of granuloma size in the liver. e Analysis of fibrosis. f–k The production of cytokines in serum. Results are expressed as the mean ± SEM of 5–6 mice per group. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, compared with the PBS group; ^##P < 0.01, ^###P < 0.001, the PZQ group compared with PZQ + Sj16 peptide group; ^&P < 0 .05, ^&&P < 0.01, ^&&&P 0.001, the Sj16 peptide group compared with PZQ + Sj16 peptide group