Fig. 2

Blood cell quantification in the peripheral blood and in the organs. C57BL/6 N mice were treated either with LPS (5 mg/kg body weight), AMD3100 (5 mg/kg body weight), with both substances or with the solvent PBS (control). 24 h after LPS administration, the mice were sacrificed and the blood as well as the livers and spleens were collected. 50 μl of each blood sample were analyzed by using the Sysmex pocH-100iV Diff hematology analyzer for hematocrit, platelet, white blood cell, lymphocyte and neutrophil count (a-e). Liver (f) and spleen sections (g-h) of each mouse were stained by means of immunohistochemistry for iNOS expression and iNOS positive neutrophils were counted in ten independent visual fields each at a magnification of 630× or 200×, respectively, using a microscope. Data are given as median with interquartile ranges; n = 7 for each group. Statistical significant differences between the different treatment groups were determined by using the non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis followed by the Mann-Whitney-U test and indicated as follows: *, p < 0.05; **, p < 0.01; ***, p < 0.001 vs. control animals; ⁺, p < 0.05; ⁺⁺, p < 0.01; ⁺⁺⁺, p < 0.001 vs. LPS treatment