Figure 2: Dysregulation of hepatic chemokine expression and accelerated HCC in the nfkb1^−/− mouse.

(a) Diagram of the experimental plan using whole-body imaging to track WT neutrophils to the liver of acute DEN-injured WT or nfkb1^−/− mice. (b) Representative IVIS pictures of mice given NIR815-labelled WT neutrophils intravenously, showing neutrophils tracking to livers of acute DEN-injured WT or nfkb1^−/− mice. Graph shows average radians from IVIS-imaged WT or nfkb1^−/− mice. (c) Representative ex vivo images of the liver (left), kidney (middle) and the spleen (right), and graph showing average radians from WT or nfkb1^−/− livers imaged ex vivo. n=3 (d) Hepatic CXCL1, CXCL2, S100A9 and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNFα) mRNA levels expressed as relative level of transcription difference (RLTD) compared with WT 48 h post acute DEN in WT and nfkb1^−/− mice, n=6. (e) Graph shows RLTD of S100A9 in bone marrow macrophages (BMM) compared with hepatocytes isolated from WT and nfkb1^−/− mice, n=3. (f) Hepatocyte CXCL1 and CXCL2 mRNA levels expressed as RLTD in nfkb1^−/− mice compared with WT, n=3. (g) Graph shows average total number of NIMP-R14 cells in liver sections from WT or nfkb1^−/− mice after acute DEN injury-treated±IgG or CXCL1 and two neutralizing antibody, n=5. (h) Average tumour counts, representative pictures of livers and graph showing average liver/body weight ratio from 40-week DEN-injured WT and s100a9^−/− mice, n=19. Hepatic CXCL1 and CXCL2 mRNA levels expressed as RLTD in 40-week, chronic, DEN-injured WT and s100a9^−/−mice, n=6. Data are means±s.e.m. Statistical significance was determined using an unpaired t-test, *P<0.05, **P<0.01 or ***P<0.001 compared with control.