Fig. 4: Infusion of M1 and M2 BMDMs exerts distinct effects on promoting either injury or regeneration in mouse liver after partial hepatectomy.

Mice with infusion of polarized BMDMs were sacrificed at 2 days or 4 days after hepatectomy (POD2 or POD4), and the remnant liver tissues were collected to examine injury and regeneration. Remnant liver tissues collected at 2 days after hepatectomy were subjected to examination of proliferation and apoptosis. A Liver mass index (liver weight:body weight in %) was monitored after partial hepatectomy. B Representative images of the remnant liver after BMDM infusion. C Protein levels of proliferation marker PCNA and apoptosis marker C-PARP in the remnant livers were measured by immunoblotting. D Sections of liver tissues were co-stained with hepatocyte marker HNF-4α and proliferation marker PCNA or apoptosis marker C-Caspase 3. Top: representative images of staining of PCNA (green) and HNF-4α (red). Bottom: representative images of staining of C-Caspase 3 (green) and HNF-4α (red). Nuclei were counterstained with DAPI (blue). E, F The positive cells were counted, the percentage of PCNA⁺ and HNF-4α⁺ hepatocytes vs. HNF-4α⁺ cells (E) and the percentage of C-Caspase 3⁺ and HNF-4α⁺ hepatocytes vs. HNF-4α⁺ cells (F) were calculated. G–I Serum levels of ALT, TBIL, and ALB were determined at 2 days after surgery. Images in B–D represent results from five individual mice in each group; *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001.