Figure 4.

Assessment of IL-1α and IL-1β in Mice

(A) IL-1α and IL-1β messenger RNA (mRNA) relative expression in the parietal pericardium was measured at 3 days by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Mice treated with intrapericardial instillation of zymosan A showed a significant increase in mRNA expression of both IL-1α and IL-1β compared with sham control subjects injected with saline. (B) Pericardial expression of IL-1α was measured at day 3 by immunofluorescence staining. Zymosan A–treated mice had a higher expression of IL-1α compared with sham. IL-1α positive cells are stained in red, while DAPI was used to counterstain the nuclei (blue). The myocardium appears green by natural autofluorescence. Original magnification 40×. (C) Immunofluorescence staining for IL-1β (red) in the pericardium of mice with experimental pericarditis demonstrated a higher expression of this cytokine in zymosan A–treated mice compared with sham control subjects. IL-1β is stained in red, while DAPI was used to counterstain the nuclei (blue). The myocardium appears green by natural autofluorescence. Original magnification 40×. Abbreviations as in Figures 1 and 2.