Fig. 3

MiR-223 promotes Th17 expansion in SLE. (A) Levels of IL-6 and IL-17 A in plasma had a marked decline after miR-223 inhibitor treatment (n = 6). (B) Percentage of CD4⁺ T cells which produce IL-17 A and IL-22 decreased significantly in miR-223- group (n = 6), levels of Th1 associated cytokines (IFN-γ and TNF-α) had no detectable changes. (C) Representative flow plots of percentage of CD4⁺ T cells producing IL-17 A and IL-22 and Th1 associated cytokines. (D) In the kidneys of MRL/lpr mice, level of IL-17 A elevated significantly compared to BALB/c mice (n = 6), whereas mi-223 inhibitor could reverse this trend (n = 6). (E) Percentage and number of CD4⁺ T cells producing IL-17 A and IL-22 declined evidently in the kidneys of miR-223- group (n = 6). Bars indicate *p < 0.05 analyzed by Student’s unpaired t-test