Figure 5: Estrogen induces macrophage proliferation.
(a–d), Proliferation was analyzed by evaluating Ki67 expression and BrdU incorporation by peritoneal macrophages from female mice at ME or 24 and 48 h after E2 treatment. Females in the estrus phase (e) were also analyzed. Mice were injected i.p. with BrdU 2 h prior to analysis. Representative dot plots depicting gating schemes for Ki67 and BrdU analysis are shown in panels a and c, respectively. Doublets were removed based on FL2 scatter width (FL2-W)/FL2 scatter area (FL2-A). Bar charts show the percentage of Ki67 (b) and BrdU (d) positive macrophages. Data are representative of three independent experiments. Graphs represent the mean ± SEM of 4–9 mice per group. (e), Ovariectomized female mice were treated with vehicle (ovx, black bars) or E2 (grey bars) for 60 h. Sham-operated mice treated with vehicle were used as controls (open bars). The peritoneal lavage fluid was analyzed by flow cytometry to evaluate the percentage of macrophages and other immune cells, as indicated. Results are expressed as the mean ± SEM (n = 3). *p < 0.05 versus sham; °p < 0.05 versus ovx.
