Figure 2
Neutrophilia by G-CSF administration increases NEC manifestation. (A) Survival of mice within the NEC groups was not affected by G-CSF administration. However, animals in the ELANE-KO study group were protected from NEC, and showed greater rates of survival. (B,E) SYTOX Orange staining showed significantly elevated extracellular DNA levels, including NETs, in animals that received G-CSF compared to controls. In animals not receiving G-CSF, SYTOX Orange staining of extracellular DNA was inadmissible. (C,F) The Caplan score is used to assess intestinal tissue damage in NEC, with our results suggesting that G-CSF administration vastly increased intestinal damage upon NEC induction. (D) Macroscopic investigations showed different levels of NEC manifestation. Animals of control group showed light or no signs of NEC similar to animals of ELANE group. Animals receiving G-CSF showed light or advanced signs of NEC. Data shown as Mean±SD. Statistics: Mantel Cox or Mann-Whitney test.
