Fig. 4

Identifying the target organ of LIPUS. A Timeline of LIPUS stimulation or α7nAChR agonists (GTS-21, 5 mg/kg) intervention in EAM mice. Different therapeutic targeting was assigned, including spleen, heart and contralateral abdomen opposite to the spleen. The characteristics and immune response of EAM were evaluated on day 21. B The BW change, SW/BW and HW/BW of EAM mice in different experimental groups (n = 3). C, D Representative FACS quantification of Treg and macrophage percentage of splenic (C) or heart (D) isolated immune cells from EAM mice with additional LIPUS stimulation at 21 days (n = 3). ^* Represents control vs. EAM; ^# represents LIPUS-spleen vs. EAM; ^& represents LIPUS-heart vs. EAM; ^￥represents LIPUS-contra vs. EAM; ⁺ represents GTS-21 vs. EAM. (Data were shown as the mean ± SD, ordinary one-way analysis of variance, Tukey's multiple comparisons test; ^*P, ^#P or ⁺P < 0.05, ^##P, or ⁺⁺P < 0.01, ^***P, ^###P or ⁺⁺⁺P < 0.001.) LIPUS: low-intensity pulsed ultrasound; α7nAChR: α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor; EAM: experimental autoimmune myocarditis; BW: body weight; SW/BW: spleen weight to body weight; HW/BW: heart weight to body weight; FACS: fluorescence activated cell sorting