Fig. 7

Sox2 upregulation mitigated inflammation-induced HC loss. A Experimental protocol for the LPS-induced HC loss model. B Myosin7a immunofluorescence in cochlear HCs of adult PrestinCreER^+/–/Sox2OE^+/– mice and control mice with or without LPS treatment. C Cell counting results of cochlear HCs after 4 mg/kg of LPS administration. D TNF-α immunofluorescence in cochlear cross-section after LPS challenge. E The mRNA expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Sox2 overexpression prevented the LPS-induced increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines. Data are presented as means ± SEM; n = 6; **P < 0.01, and ***P < 0.001. Scale bar = 20 μm