Fig. 8: Inhibition of SR-A ameliorates severity of arthritis in mice.

a Scheme of the experimental setup. Intervention was initiated when the arthritis scores were averagely over 2. CIA mice were intravenously injected with SR-A neutralizing antibody or isotype IgG (2 μg/mouse) once every 2 days for seven doses, or were intraperitoneally injected with SR-A inhibitor Fucoidan (100 μg/mouse) on day 0 and day 6 after initiation for two doses. b The arthritis scores in each intervention group were recorded daily after the first treatment (n = 5 per group, **p = 0.0028 (top) and 0.0016 (bottom), respectively). c H&E staining of the sagittal sections of paws from the isotype antibody-, SR-A neutralizing antibody-, or Fucoidan-treated CIA mice and naïve mice. Arrows indicate the stenosis of articular cavity and destruction of cartilage. Scale bar = 100 μm. d Micro-CT image showing the bone destruction of paws from the isotype antibody-, SR-A neutralizing antibody-, or Fucoidan-treated CIA mice and naïve mice. e The serum IL-17A levels were detected in the isotype antibody-, SR-A neutralizing antibody-, or Fucoidan-treated CIA mice and naïve mice (n = 5 per group, **p = 0.0081, ***p = 1.7201E−04 (left) and 2.9233E−04 (right)). f The heart body weight ratio was shown to reflect the heart functions (n = 5 per group). g H&E staining of the sagittal sections of liver, spleen, kidney, and heart were performed to evaluate the organ damage. Scale bar = 100 μm. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. Results are representative of three independent experiments. **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001, NS, not significant (two-way repeated measures ANOVA test b or One-way ANOVA test followed by Tukey’s posttest for multiple comparisons e, f). Source data are provided as a Source Data file.