Effect of rapamycin nanoparticles in an animal model of primary biliary cholangitis

Figure 1 Animal modeling and intervention protocol. CFA: Complete Freund's adjuvant; IFA: Incomplete Freund’s adjuvant; ImmTOR: Nanoparticles encapsulating rapamycin; Poly I: C: Polycytidylic acid; 2-OA-BSA: 2-octynoic acid-coupled bovine serum albumin.

Figure 2 Analysis of biochemical parameters in serum in the treatment and control groups. A: Nanoparticles encapsulating rapamycin treatment decreased alkaline phosphatase in the primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) mouse models (^aP < 0.05); B: Comparison of alanine aminotransferase in the treatment and control group PBC mouse models. ALP: Alkaline phosphatase; ALT: Alanine aminotransferase.

Figure 3 Nanoparticles encapsulating rapamycin treatment decreased serum anti-mitochondrial antibodies levels and inhibited the expression of cytokines. A: Levels of anti-mitochondrial antibodies at 4 weeks, 8 weeks and 12 weeks in primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) mice treated with nanoparticles encapsulating rapamycin and in mice in the control group; B: Comparative serum profiling of interferon gamma between control and treated PBC mice; C: Comparative serum levels of tumor necrosis factor α between the control and treatment group (^aP < 0.05). AMA: Anti-mitochondrial antibodies; IFN-γ: Interferon gamma; TNF-α: Tumor necrosis factor α.

Figure 4 Nanoparticles encapsulating rapamycin treatment decreased the lymphocyte expression in the liver and spleen. A: The percentage of CD4-positive T cells in the liver of the treatment group decreased compared with that in the control group; B: A comparison of the control and treatment groups showed that the percentage of CD8-positive T cells in the liver of the treatment group was decreased; C: The expression of B lymphocytes was decreased in the liver of the treatment group; D: There was no difference in CD4-positive T cells in the spleen between the two groups; E: The percentage of CD8-positive T lymphocytes in the spleen of the treatment group decreased compared with that in the control group; F: The expression of B lymphocytes in the spleen was decreased in the treatment group (^aP < 0.05).

Figure 5 Nanoparticles encapsulating rapamycin treatment improved liver pathology. A: Comparison of the hepatic histopathological score between the two groups (^aP < 0.05); B: Hepatic histopathology visualized using hematoxylin and eosin staining in control mice; C: Hepatic pathological manifestations of mice in the treatment group. HE: Hematoxylin and eosin.