Alternatively activated M2 macrophages increase in early stages of experimental autoimmune myocarditis in Lewis rats |
Hanseul Oh1, Meejung Ahn2, Yoh Matsumoto3, Taekyun Shin1 |
1Laboratory of Veterinary Anatomy, College of Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Medical Research Institute 2School of Medicine, Jeju National University 3Department of Immunotherapy Development, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science |
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Abstract |
To better understand the role of macrophages in early stages of experimental autoimmune myocarditis (EAM), we compared the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and arginase-1, markers for classically activated M1 and alternatively activated M2 macrophages, respectively, in the hearts of EAM-affected and control rats. Immunohistochemical evidence revealed that both iNOS-positive and arginase 1-positive macrophages were found in EAM lesions, while some cells were co-localized with both markers. This finding suggests that the increased level of arginase-1, which is partly from M2 macrophages, contributes to the modulation of EAM, possibly through the reduction of nitric oxide in the lesion. |
Key Words:
arginase-1, experimental autoimmune myocarditis, inducible nitric oxide synthase, macrophage |
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