Figure 5
The effect of ACE2 over-expression on the local and systemic mRNA expression of IFN-γ, IL-17 and polarization of M1/M2 macrophages.
The retinas, spleens and draining lymph nodes (DLN) were harvested for analyzing the mRNA of IFN-γ and IL-17, the representative cytokines for Th1 and Th17 cells respectively, iNOS (the marker of M1 macrophages) and Arginase-1 (Arg-1, the marker of M2 macrophages). Values on y-axis represent fold difference of the mRNA expressions at the 14th day after IRBP immunization. The mRNA levels of IFN-γ and IL-17 in the retinas (a), spleens (b) and draining lymph nodes (c) (*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, n = 4~6 per group). (d) The retinal mRNA level of iNOS was decreased and the level of Arg-1 was increased in the AAV8-ACE2+EAU group compared with the AAV8-eGFP+EAU group. The M1/M2 fold change ratio was significantly increased in the AAV8-eGFP+EAU group (*p < 0.05, n = 4~6 per group). However, the expression of iNOS or Arg-1 was no statistical difference between the two groups in spleens (e) and draining lymph nodes (f). Data were expressed as mean ± SEM.
