Fig. 4

ASK1-K716R inhibits neuroinflammation and the infiltration of peripheral immune cells 3 days after TBI. A Illustration of flow cytometry analysis of circulating immune cells in the brain 3 days following TBI. B Quantification of the numbers of infiltrating immune cells in the brain. n = 7 for WT Sham, n = 7 for ASK1-K716R Sham, n = 8 for WT TBI, n = 9 for ASK1-K716R TBI. C Schematic diagram showing the regions from the damaged edge proximal (0–400 µm) and distal (400–800 µm) of the CTX or STR. Scale bar, 1 mm. D 3D reconstruction of four phenotypes of microglia/macrophages: pro- (CD16⁺CD206⁻Iba1⁺), anti- (CD16⁻CD206⁺Iba1⁺), transit- (CD16⁺CD206⁺Iba1⁺), and rest- (CD16⁻CD206⁻Iba1⁺) microglia/macrophages. E Quantification of the percentage of four phenotypes in all Iba1⁺ microglia/macrophages in the 0–400 µm or 400–800 µm from the damaged edge in CTX and STR 3 days following TBI. n = 6/group. F Representative images of immunostaining for microglia/macrophages in the CTX or STR 3 days following TBI. Scale bar, 100 μm. G Measurement of a panel of inflammation markers by qRT-PCR in the ipsilateral hemisphere 3 days following TBI. n = 5 for WT Sham, n = 5 for ASK1-K716R Sham, n = 7 for WT TBI, n = 5 foe ASK1-K716R TBI. All data from male mice are presented as the mean ± SD. One-way ANOVA test and Bonferroni post hoc (B, G) and Student’s t test (E). * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001, ns, no significance, ASK1-K716R TBI vs. WT TBI, or as indicated