Figure 6

Deficiency of IRAK3 aggravates the outcome of severe acute pancreatitis. Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) was induced by partial pancreatic duct ligation in Irak3−/− and wildtype mice. (A) 3d after onset of pancreatitis, Irak3−/− mice showed significantly increased pancreatic tissue damage by scoring of H&E stained sections (n = 10–18 mice). (B) Measurements of serum lipase activity showed also a significant increase in Irak3−/− mice (n = 10–18 mice). (C, D) Immunofluorescence labelling of CD68 and CCR2 in pancreatic tissue showed a significantly increased number of CD68⁺ and CCR2⁺ macrophages in IRAK3 deficient mice (n = 5–8 mice). (F) Also, serum cytokine levels of IL-6, TNFα and IL-12p70 were increased in Irak3−/− mice 3d after onset of pancreatitis (n = 6–15 mice). Significant differences were tested using student’s t-test, all error bars indicate SEM. Significance level p < 0.05 is marked by an asterisk.