Fig. 4

Effects of formula treatments on immune responses of tumor-bearing mice. Populations of T lymphocytes, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) and regulatory T cells (Treg) in spleen, thymus and lymph node were determined by flow cytometry. Cells were stained with fluorochrome conjugated antibodies as mentioned in Materials and Methods section. a, b The proportions of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells in lymphocytes were analyzed using flow cytometry analyses by gating CD3⁺ population. Populations of c regulatory T cells (CD4⁺CD25⁺FOXP3⁺) in lymph node and d MDSC (CD11b⁺Ly6G⁺) in spleen were analyzed from the 10,000–20,000 viable isolated cells. Results were expressed as mean concentration ± SEM (n = 4–8). e Level of IL-12 in plasma of mice from different treatment groups were determined by ELISA. f Production of IL-2, IL-12, IFN-γ and TNF-α by isolated spleen lymphocytes from formula-treated mice. The concentrations of cytokines were determined by ELISA. Results were expressed in box and whisker plots of 4–8 mice each group. Statistical difference was determined by one-way ANOVA, followed by Tukey’s multiple comparisons test. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.005 as compared with the control group. ^#p < 0.05, ^##p < 0.01 when compared among treatment groups