Fig. 7
Results of the cytokine neutralization assay. a To reveal the role of TGF-β1 and PGE2 in the immunomodulatory mechanism of SHEDs, a cytokine neutralization assay was performed. Treg expansion was detected via flow cytometry, and T lymphocyte proliferation was evaluated by CFSE labeling (n = 5). b The percentage of T lymphocyte proliferation was significantly upregulated compared to that in the PBMC+PHA+SHED group upon anti-TGF-β Ab addition, and the percentage of Treg cells markedly decreased. In contrast, there was no significant change in the percentage of T lymphocyte proliferation and Treg cell frequency when indomethacin was added to block the PGE2 pathway. The data are expressed as the mean ± SD. *p < .05, ***p < .001, n.s. no significance