Fig 6. IL-10R blockade reverses the inflammation and diminished CD4⁺ T cell response phenotypes observed in the lungs of B cell-depleted C57BL/6 mice during chronic M. tuberculosis infection.

C57BL/6 mice were depleted for B cells via administration of 5D2 beginning 2 days prior to infection with a low dose (100 CFU) of M. tuberculosis Erdman delivered by aerosol. B cell depletion was maintained for the duration of the experiment. At 3 months after the infection, IL-10R blockade was initiated using the anti-mouse IL-10R antibody clone 1B1.3A. The control group received non-specific rat IgG. The IL-10R blockade was continued for two months. At five months post-infection (2 months after initiation of IL-10R blockade), mice were sacrificed and analyzed for the levels of inflammation in the lungs, as assessed by histological examination (A) and enumeration of total lung cells (B), CD4⁺ T cells proliferation via BrdU labeling (C), and Th1 response (D). Data shown are representation of two experiments. Three to four mice were analyzed per group. Data depicted in (B), (C), and (D) denote mean ± SEM.