Fig. 5
From: Osteopontin in the host response to Leishmania amazonensis
In vivo phenotypic evaluation and parasitic load. C57BL/6 wild type and opn mutant mice (C57BL/6−/−) mice were inoculated with 104 L. amazonensis metacyclic promastigotes in the ear pinna. a. Longitudinal examination of clinical phenotype (ear width) at different time points post inoculation. Medians and SDs are indicated. Ear widths, P values: D48: P = 0.034; D73: P = 0.007; D80: P = 0.017. b. Monitoring of fluctuations of parasite load by bioluminescence. Signals are captured in the dermis of the ear pinnae. X axis represents days p.i.. Results obtained from wild type mice (C57BL/6: n = 16 mice per group) are represented in red and from opn mutant mice (C57BL/6−/−, n = 23 mice per group) are represented in green. c and d. Time windows (days), after inoculation of 104 metacyclic promastigotes of luciferase expressing L. amazonensis in the ear dermis of C57BL/6+/+ (WT) and opn−/− (KO) mice. Animals were grouped for each time window as indicated on the X axis up to 98 days p.i. (WT: n = 16 mice, KO: n = 23 mice). c. Comparison of clinical lesions at different time points post inoculation (ear widths) (Mann-Whitney test; P < 0.006). d. Comparison of parasitic load determined by bioluminescence signal quantification at different time points post inoculation (Medians and SD are indicated). e. Evolution of the ear lesions in representative mice at two different time points post-inoculation of parasites: at day 48 (a, b) and at day 94 (d, e); an image of a control non-inoculated ear is shown on (c)