Fig. 7: Reduced incidence of CIA and autoimmune inflammation in SR-A-deficient mice.

a The serum levels of mouse sSR-A in naïve C57BL/6 mice or CIA mice with different clinical scores were examined by ELISA (n = 3 per group, *p = 0.0155, ***p = 1.7785E−05). b Male WT (n = 5) and SR-A^−/− (n = 5) mice were immunized with 200 μg chicken collagen II emulsified in CFA. The arthritis incidence (*p = 0.049) and disease severity (*p = 0.0171) were followed. c Representative gross image of arthritis symptoms was recorded at 6 weeks post immunization. Inflammatory cell infiltration and bone erosion were evaluated by H&E staining. Red star indicates inflammatory cell infiltration. Arrow indicates bone erosion. Scale bar = 100 μm. d The infiltration of MDSCs and Th17 cells into the inflamed joints was determined by flow cytometry. e Six weeks after CIA induction, serum level of IL-17A in the arthritic mice (n = 3 per group, *p = 0.0387) was determined by ELISA. f–g Splenocytes from naïve or CIA WT/SR-A^−/− mice were cultured in the presence of denatured collagen (50 μg/mL) for 48 h. IL-17A levels in the culture medium were determined by ELISA (f, top, ***p = 1.5376E−04). Frequencies of IL-17A-producing cells were evaluated by ELISPOT (f, bottom, **p = 0.0085) or intracellular cytokine staining (g, top). The frequencies of TNF-α-producing CD4⁺ T cells upon collagen stimulation were also assayed by intracellular cytokine staining (g, bottom). Data are presented as mean ± SEM. Results are representative of three independent experiments. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001, NS, not significant (one-way ANOVA test followed by Dunnett’s posttest for multiple comparisons a, LogRank test and two-way repeated measures ANOVA test b, or two-tailed Student’s t test e and f). Source data are provided as a Source Data file.