Fig. 3

MTX-NPs suppressed the levels of inflammatory mediators in vivo. Beginning 3 weeks after the first immunization with type II collagen (CII), mice were injected subcutaneously with vehicle, free MTX, or MTX-NPs twice per week for 7 weeks (n = 5/group). At 70 days after the first immunization with CII, sections of joint tissues (n = 5/group) were stained with antibodies against interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and VEGF. Graphs present numbers of antibody-positive cells for each cytokine. Data are means ± SEM of two independent experiments. *P < 0.05 vs. control group