Infiltration of COX-2–expressing macrophages is a prerequisite for IL-1β–induced neovascularization and tumor growth
J. Clin. Invest. Shintaro Nakao, et al. 115:2979 doi:10.1172/JCI23298 [Go to this article.]

Figure 2
The role of neutrophils in IL-1β– or VEGF-induced angiogenesis. (A) BALB/c mice received 200 μg neutralizing anti–Gr-1 mAb i.p. on days –1, 1, 3, and 5. Hydron pellets containing IL-1β (30 ng) or VEGF (200 ng) were implanted into the corneas on day 0. Corneal vessels in the region of the pellet implants were photographed at the indicated time points. (B) Anti–Gr-1 mAb did not suppress IL-1β– or VEGF-induced corneal neovascularization. Corneal neovascularization 6 days after treatment with anti–Gr-1 mAb (black bars) or control IgG (white bars) was quantified by area, in mm². The bars show means ± SD of independent experiments (n = 3 or 4). (C) Corneas implanted with IL-1β stained by H&E at the indicated time points. Anti–Gr-1 mAb did not affect IL-1β–induced corneal edema on day 2. (D) FACS analysis of infiltrating cells after IL-1β implantation (n = 5) and treatment with anti–Gr-1 mAb or control IgG at the indicated times. The cells were stained with PE-CD11b mAb or FITC–Gr-1. The percentages of CD11b⁺Gr-1⁺ cells in IL-1β–implanted corneas of anti–Gr-1 mAb-treated mice were 0.25% ± 0.22% (day 2), 0.11% ± 0.1% (day 4), and 0.28% ± 0.37% (day 6). (E) FACS analysis of infiltrating cells from 5 IL-1β–implanted corneas treated with anti–Gr-1 mAb or control IgG at the indicated times. Cells were stained with PE-CD11b mAb or FITC-F4/80. The percentages of CD11b⁺F4/80⁺ cells in IL-1β–implanted corneas of anti–Gr-1 mAb-treated mice were 1.71% ± 1.04% (day 2), 4.36% ± 1.20% (day 4), and 5.57% ± 1.34% (day 6).