Figure 2

The effect of IL-17 on lymphocytic infiltrates in the salivary glands.

(A) Histological examination of the salivary glands. Glands were excised from all lines at 30 ± 4 weeks of age. Paraffin-embedded glands were sectioned and stained for H&E (B6 F, n = 5; B6 M, n = 5; B6.Il17^−/− F, n = 5; B6.Il17^−/− M, n = 5; B6.NOD-Aec1Aec2 F, n = 6; B6.NOD-Aec1Aec2 M, n = 3; B6.NOD-Aec1Aec2.Il17^−/− F, n = 5; B6.NOD-Aec1Aec2.Il17^−/− M, n = 5). Glands were stained for B220⁺B cells (red), CD3⁺ T cells (green), and CD4⁺ (green) and IL-17⁺ (pink) for Th17 with DAPI nuclei staining (blue). Negative controls were performed with rabbit IgG isotype. All representative images were presented at 200x magnification. (B) Reduction in lymphocytic infiltrates in males and females. Total area of infiltration, B cells, T cells, and Th17 cells in the salivary glands were determined using densitometrical analysis with ROI and/or threshold setting using Nikon Elements Software. Percentage of B and T cells was determined by flow cytometric analysis gated on live B220⁺B cells and CD3⁺ T cells. The statistical significance was calculated by one-tailed Mann-Whitney tests where error bars indicate SEM *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 and ****p < 0.0001.