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. 2021 Jan 8;11:600635. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.600635

Figure 6.

Figure 6

Hepatic macrophage depletion impairs PSC clearance and promotes disease progression in the E multilocularis-infected mouse model. (A) Protocol for hepatic macrophage depletion. Mice were administered (i.p.) with CL or PL at day 0 before E multilocularis infection at day 3 and then administered once a week for 6 weeks. Livers were collected at weeks 1, 2, 4, and 6 after E multilocularis infection. (B) Representative images of metacestode tissue in the liver from E multilocularis–infected mice treated with CLs or PLs (control) after 6 weeks of infection. Metacestode tissues are encircled by the yellow line. (C) Representative H&E staining and immunohistochemistry of F4/80, α-SMA, and SR staining of liver sections from E multilocularis-infected mice at weeks 1, 2, 4, and 6 after macrophage depletion or control (100× magnification; scale bar, 200 μm). PSCs: protoscoleces. pv: parasitic vesicle. The red arrow indicates the inflammatory cell zone. (D) Number of PSCs and parasitic vesicles in the liver from E multilocularis-infected mice treated with CL or PL. (E) The percentage of positively stained area was calculated to assess the expression of F4/80. (F) The ratio of SR staining area was calculated. (G) The percentage of positively stained area was calculated to assess the expression of α-SMA. (H) Thickness of the inflammatory cell infiltration bands around the metacestode lesions. PSCs: protoscoleces. p.v: portal vein. CL: clodronate-liposomes. PL: phosphate-buffered saline control liposomes. Data are shown as the mean ± standard error of the mean (SEM, four to five mice per group), *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001, ****p < 0.0001. ns, no significance.