Figure 3.

HSD decreases IL-17A and iNOS expression in the distal colon of ETBF-infected mice. C57BL/6 female mice were inoculated with WT-ETBF (~1 × 10⁹ CFU). HSD (4% and 8%) treated groups were given chow containing either 4% NaCl or 8% NaCl, respectively. C57BL/6 mice were sacrificed at day 7 post-infection. Serum KC and IL-17A levels were examined by ELISA. Serum nitrite level was examined by nitric oxide assay. Distal colon was analyzed for the mRNA expression of IL-17A, KC, and iNOS by qRT-PCR. (A) Serum KC; (B) serum IL-17A; (C) serum nitrite; (D) KC expression; (E) IL-17A expression; (F) iNOS expression. In the scatter plots, each dot represents one mouse (n = 6–13 mice per group). The horizontal bar denotes the median. * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001; ns, no statistical significance.