Journal: Scientific Reports
Article Title: IL-18 promotes pancreatic fibrosis via release of IL-4 from pancreatic stellate cells and induces macrophage M2 polarization
doi: 10.1038/s41598-026-38168-5
Figure Lengend Snippet: IL-18 promotes IL-4 secretion by PSCs. (A , C) IF of human CP tissues showed IL-4 expression and co-localization with α-SMA ( n = 6). (B , D) Reduced pancreatic IL-4 expression in normal and chronic pancreatic tissues of both genotypes ( n = 3–5). (E) Schematic of primary murine PSC isolation and stimulation. (F) The purity of the extracted PSCs was evaluated by immunofluorescence detection of α-SMA. (G) PSCs were treated with rmIL-18, and qPCR was used to detect changes in the expression of IL-4, α-SMA, and TGF-β1 ( n = 5). (H) ELISA was used to measure changes in the IL-4 protein levels in the culture supernatant of PSCs treated with rmIL-18 ( n = 3). (I) Western blot results of PSCs after intervention Data are mean ± SEM. ns, not significant, * P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01, *** P < 0.001, **** P < 0.0001. Scale bar = 30 μm. NS normal saline, Ctrl control, CP chronic pancreatitis. PSC pancreatic stellate cells.
Article Snippet: To validate the in vivo role of IL-18 mediated through IL-4, we administered 500 ng of recombinant mouse IL-18 (rmIL-18; #HY- P73181 , MedChemExpress) intraperitoneally three times a week, starting two weeks after the initial caerulein injection.
Techniques: Expressing, Isolation, Immunofluorescence, Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay, Western Blot, Saline, Control