Tumor Necrosis Factor Is a Therapeutic Target for Immunological Unbalance and Cardiac Abnormalities in Chronic Experimental Chagas’ Heart Disease

Figure 4

Anti-TNF therapy reduces the frequency of TNF⁺ cells but increases the frequency of IL-10⁺ and IL-10⁺TNF⁺ cells among Ly6C⁺ and F4/80⁺ macrophages in chronically Trypanosoma cruzi-infected mice. C57BL/6 mice infected with 100 bt of the Colombian T. cruzi strain were treated from 120 to 150 dpi and analyzed at 150 dpi. (a) Representative dot plots, frequency of TNF⁺, IL-10⁺, and TNF⁺ IL-10⁺ cells among Ly6C⁺ in the spleen [R1 (SSCxFSC) mononuclear cells gated], and ranges (means) of the IL-10/TNF relative ratios are shown. (b) Frequency of TNF⁺, IL-10⁺, and TNF⁺ IL-10⁺ double-positive cells among F4/80⁺ in the spleen [R1 (SSCxFSC) mononuclear cells gated]. ^∗𝑃<0.05, ^∗∗𝑃<0.01, and ^∗∗∗𝑃<0.001, T. cruzi-infected mice (saline injected or anti-TNF treated) compared to NI controls. ^#𝑃<0.05, ^##𝑃<0.01, and ^###𝑃<0.001, anti-TNF-treated compared to saline-injected T. cruzi-infected mice. Bar represents the mean ± SD of the studied group (4 to 6 mice). These data represent two independent experiments.

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