Fig. 2

Reduced cytokine levels in HDC^−/− mice following CLP-induced sepsis. a Blood levels of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and MCP-1. The blood was collected 18 h after surgery (n = 4–9/group), and those cytokine levels were measured by the use of ELISA. b Transcription levels of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and MCP-1 in lung, liver, and kidney tissues. Tissues were harvested 18 h after surgery (n = 4–11/group). The mRNA levels were quantified by real-time PCR. The values were expressed as a fold increase above sham-operated control normalized GAPDH. All values are provided as means ± SEM. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, and ***P < 0.001 vs. the respective control (18 h after sham operation). ^# P < 0.05 vs. CLP WT