Figure 3

Effects on bovine collagen type II (BCII)-restimulated spleen-cell cultures from mice fed ovalbumin (OVA). Mice were fed OVA or a standard diet for 7 days. One week after the last day on the OVA diet, the mice were immunized with BCII or BCII mixed with OVA, emulsified in Freund's complete adjuvant. Three weeks later the mice were immunized again, with the same antigen(s) emulsified in Freund's incomplete adjuvant. In vitro proliferation (a), secretion of IFN-γ (b), IL-4 (c), and IL-10 (d) by splenocytes after BCII restimulation 1 week after the booster immunization. The proliferation results are presented as proliferation indexes (mean counts per minute [cpm] in triplicate cultures stimulated with OVA/mean cpm in triplicate control cultures). Bars represent mean ± standard error of the mean (n = 8–9). *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001. Ag(s), antigen(s); C, bovine collagen type II; O, ovalbumin; Od, ovalbumin-containing diet; Sd, standard diet.