Prolactin Increases the Frequency of Follicular T Helper Cells with Enhanced IL21 Secretion and OX40 Expression in Lupus-Prone MRL/lpr Mice

Figure 3

Metoclopramide increases the absolute number of T_FH populations in MRL/lpr mice. Nine-week-old MRL/lpr mice were treated with metoclopramide (meto), bromocriptine (bromo), or PBS or were left without intervention (left column marked by age in weeks) for 6 weeks. (a) Flow chart of treatment strategy. At the end of the treatment, cells were labeled with anti-CD4, anti-CXCR5, anti-PD1, anti-OX40, anti-BCL6, or anti-IL21 antibodies. The graphs show the absolute number of (b) splenocytes, (c) CD4⁺ T cells, (d) T_FH cells, (e) OX40⁺ T_FH cells, and (f) IL21⁺ T_FH cells. (g) Expression of BCL6 in T_FH cells. (h) IL21 concentration in serum. For the determination of T_FH IL21⁺, the cells were stimulated with stimulation cocktail (PMA ionomycin) for 5 h and then stained. MFI: mean fluorescent intensity. Eight mice per condition were used. Pooled data are presented as the ; , , and using ANOVA.

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