Supplementary Figure 5

Effect of varying cell number on gel contraction and collagen degradation. Collagen gels were prepared with co cultures containing varying concentrations of either monocytes or fibroblasts. The gels were then floated in either serum-free DMEM (panels a and c) or in medium containing human neutrophil elastase (NE) (panels b and d). After 4 days, the gel area (panels a and b) and hydroxyproline content (panels c and d) were determined. Panels a and b: vertical axes = gel size on day 4 (% of initial area). Panels c and d: vertical axes = hydroxyproline content in the gels (μg/gel). Horizontal axes: fibroblast and monocyte densities (10⁵/ml). The data shown are means ± SEM for triplicate determinations from a representative single experiment. BM, blood monocytes; HFL, human lung fibroblasts. ^*P < 0.05, ^**P < 0.01 compared to monocytes alone. ^#P < 0.05, ^##P < 0.01 compared to fibroblasts alone.