Fig. 5

Neutralizing IL-17 A enhances the therapeutic effects of Esketamine (Esk) in alleviating brain injury in TBI mice. (A) Flow cytometry histograms showing the percentage of Th17 (CD4 + IL-17 A+) cells in brain tissue from TBI, TBI + Esk, and TBI + Esk + anti-IL-17 A groups. Quantification of Th17 cell percentages is shown in lower panel (F = 356.9). (B) Representative H&E-stained coronal brain sections from each group, showing the extent of tissue abnormalities (F = 40.73). Scale bar = 10 mm. (C) Neurological severity scores (NSS) indicating neurological deficits in TBI, TBI + Esk, and TBI + Esk + anti-IL-17 A groups (F = 61.57). (D) Relative mRNA expression levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 in brain tissue across groups (F = 60.96, 95.29, 156.1, respectively). Statistical significance: Data are represented as mean ± SD of three independent experiments, *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001