Figure 7.

Microbiota ablation reduces macrophage infiltration and M1 macrophage polarization, reducing the M1:M2 ratio. Epididymal adipose tissue from the epididymitis of mice was analyzed using flow cytometry to quantify the following: (A) macrophages and (B) M1 and M2 macrophage subsets. Data from WSD-treated mice represented here are relative to the chow-fed mice of their corresponding groups, as follows: (C) number of macrophages per gram of adipose tissue, (D) M1 macrophages as a percentage of total macrophages, (E) M1 macrophages as the number of cells per gram of adipose tissue, (F) M2 macrophages as a percentage of total macrophages (∗∗P ≤ .01), and (G) M2 macrophages as the number of cells per gram of adipose tissue. (H) M1:M2 macrophage ratios were quantified using the percentage of M1 and M2 macrophages. (I) Epididymal adipose tissue collected at death also was analyzed for cytokines via quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Data are the means ± SD (N=5-7). Statistical significance was determined using 1-way analysis of variance corrected for multiple comparisons with a Bonferroni test. *P ≤ .05, ***P ≤ .001, and ****P ≤ .0001. ^#Limited sample quantity prevented the use of statistical analysis. ABX, antibiotic; Conv, conventional; eAT, epididymal adipose tissue; ns, nonsignificant.