Fig. 6

L-MSCs secrete soluble factors. a L-MSCs were co-cultured with PBMCs (1:10 ratio) for 24 h. After the incubation, levels of IL-6, IL-10 and PGE2 in culture supernatants were measured by ELISA. Data are presented as mean ± SD of IL-6, IL-10 and PGE2 levels in pg/ml in MSC–PBMC co-cultures, each cell type isolated from three different pig pairs. *P < 0.05. b MSCs promote the induction of Tregs. PBMCs (1 × 10⁶) were cultured in the presence or absence of L-MSCs (1 × 10⁵) for 48 h. Expression of regulatory T-cell marker (FoxP3) on CD4 cells was analyzed by flow cytometry. In the presence of L-MSCs, an increased proportion of Tregs was induced. Data are presented as mean ± SD proportion of CD4⁺FoxP3⁺cells. L-MSCs and PBMCs were isolated from three different pigs. IL Interleukin, MSC Mesenchymal stem cell, PBMC Peripheral blood mononuclear cell, PGE2 Prostaglansin E2, Tregs T regulatory cells