Fig. 3

Changes in neurogenesis in corneal nerve fibers from antibiotic-treated (Abx-treated) and control mice. a Heatmap of genes involved in the regulation of mitochondria and neurogenesis (the top 30 differentially expressed genes) (Supplementary Tables 4, 5) in corneal tissues of Abx-treated and control mice at postnatal day 28 (P28) (n = 3 independent experiments, six mice per experiment in each group). b The difference in the expression of neurotrophin genes in corneal tissues between Abx-treated mice and control mice with qPCR analysis (n = 3 independent experiments, six mice per experiment in each group). c Comparison of the total length and density of corneal nerve fibers in Abx-treated and control mice at P7, P14, P21, and P28. The two upper images show the staining of nerve fibers with anti-β-III-tubulin antibody in the two groups of mice (scale bars, 500 μm). The two lower graphs show the dynamic changes of the total length and density of the corneal nerve fibers in the two groups of mice at P7, P14, P21, and P28 (n = 6 mice at each time point in each group). The density of the corneal nerves was obtained through the total length of the corneal nerve fibers dividing the corneal area. The data are presented as mean ± SD. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, and ***P < 0.001