Skip to main content
Fig. 4 | Respiratory Research

Fig. 4

From: Resolution of bleomycin-induced murine pulmonary fibrosis via a splenic lymphocyte subpopulation

Fig. 4

Adoptively transferred Tregs ameliorated the accumulation of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 9-expressing cells. Immunohistochemical staining for FGF9 (red) in mouse lungs with BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis, without or with adoptively transferred Tregs (a and b, respectively). FGF9-positive cells bearing the morphology of alveolar epithelial cells markedly increased by BLM treatment (a), and this increase was attenuated by the adoptive transfer of Tregs (b). Tissue sections were counterstained with hematoxylin. Representative data from each group are presented. c Composite data represented as the number of FGF9-positive cells per 200× field. n = 3 for BLM, n = 4 for BLM + Tregs. *P < 0.05. d–f Dual staining for E-cadherin (green; d) and FGF9 (red; e) was performed with lung sections on day 28 after BLM treatment. The merged images (yellow; f) represent co-staining for E-cadherin and FGF9, indicating that both, FGF9 and E-cadherin, are expressed by alveolar epithelial cells. g Plasma samples from BLM-treated and Treg-transferred mice were collected by cardiac punctures on day 28 post-BLM challenge, and FGF9 levels were measured by ELISA. The plasma FGF9 concentration appeared to increase following BLM treatment. A trend was observed that the increase tended to be reduced to basal levels by the adoptive transfer of Tregs. n = 3–4 mice/group. NC; normal control

Back to article page