Fig. 5

Changes in macrophage polarization from the proinflammatory M1 to the anti-inflammatory M2 phases due to crisdesalazine treatment. a mRNA expression levels of iNOS, a M1 macrophage marker. Proinflammatory M1 phase was induced when macrophages were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and was reversed when they were treated with crisdesalazine. There was a significant increase in interleukin 6 (IL-6) and interleukin 1β (IL-1β) expression after stimulation with LPS. When LPS-stimulated macrophages were treated with crisdesalazine, the expression levels of both cytokines were reduced, with the exception of IL-6 at 10 μΜ crisdesalazine. b Detection of CD11c + (M1 marker, red) cells and CD206 + (M2 marker, red) cells using an immunofluorescence assay. In the crisdesalazine-treated group, the proportion of CD206 + cells increased compared to the untreated group. Results are shown as means ± standard deviation. *P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001; ns, not significant