Fig. 9: The IL-6-receptor inhibitor tocilizumab impairs the HCMV-mediated paracrine effects in RPTECs.
From: Human cytomegalovirus infection triggers a paracrine senescence loop in renal epithelial cells
RPTECs were infected with HCMV TR strain (MOI 1) for 3 days in the presence of IL-6R inhibitor tocilizumab (TCZ) (25 μg/mL) or vehicle control (DMSO). a–b Representative immunofluorescence images of co-stainings for γH2AX (a) and NF-κB (b) in green, and HCMV immediate early antigen (IEA, in red). Cell nuclei were visualized by DAPI (blue). Histograms on the right of each panel represent the number of γH2AX- or NF-κB-positive nuclei and IEA-positive cells per field in HCMV-infected cells. Three random fields of view per cell line from 3 different experimental replicates (at ×63 magnification) were captured and cell number graphed (*P < 0.05, multiple unpaired t-test). Scale bars, 30 μm. c Protein concentration of IL-6 was evaluated by ELISA in supernatants from mock- or HCMV-infected RPTECs (MOI 1) treated with TCZ or with vehicle control (DMSO). Data are expressed as mean values ± SD of three independent experiments (**P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, multiple unpaired t-test).
