Fig. 2
NLRP3 inflammasome expression and ECM deposition in the liver were both altered by MCC950 in vivo. BALB/c mice were infected percutaneously with 15 S. japonicum cercaria. In the M0 group, infected mice received i.p. injections of MCC950 (10 mg/kg) in 0.9% NaCl for 8 weeks starting on the day of infection. In the M4 group, infected mice received i.p. injections of MCC950 (10 mg/kg) in 0.9% NaCl for 5 weeks starting at day 22 post-infection. All the mice were sacrificed in order to harvest liver samples at 8 weeks after infection. a Chemical structure of MCC950 (sodium) (left). Experimental protocol of MCC950 application in liver fibrosis from infected mice (middle). Egg of S. japonicum (right). The mRNA and protein expressions of NLRP3, Caspase I, IL-1β (b), α-SMA and Collagen I (d) were determined by RT-PCR and western blot, respectively. The representative band images and the quantification were displayed. Liver tissues were fixed and stained with anti-NLRP3, Caspase I, IL-1β antibody (c) and stained with Masson trichrome (f), respectively. The quantitative changes were detected by computer-assisted morphometric analysis. e Levels of IL-1β in the plasma were detected by ELISA. g MCC950 affected on the contents of liver hydroxyproline. Data are mean ± SEM of 6 mice/group. #P < 0.05, **, ##P < 0.001, ***, ###P < 0.001, vs N; aP < 0.05, aa, bbP < 0.01, aaa, bbbP < 0.001 vs SJ. Abbreviations: N, control group; SJ, infected group; NS, no statistical significance. Scale-bars: a, 50 μm; c, f, 100 μm