Fig. 6

LCN-2 laden neutrophils promote AMD-like pathology. Representative spectral-OCT images of retinas from NOD-SCID mice injected sub-retinally with a vehicle (HBSS) or b WT neutrophils revealed normal retinal structure. In contrast, mice injected with; WT neutrophils pre-treated with either c recombinant IFNλ (200 U/mL), d conditioned media from IFNλ overexpressing mouse RPE cells (1:1 diluted) or e recombinant LCN-2 (10 pg/mL), show apparent changes in the ONL and INL layers (asterisks), concomitant with severe loss of RPE and IS + OS layer (yellow arrow heads). These alterations were not observed in mice injected with; f untreated neutrophils from LCN-2^−/− mice or g, h IFNλ-exposed LCN-2^−/− neutrophils. i Representative spider plot showing the thickness of the IS/OS + RPE layers using the OCT images among the experimental groups. n = 10. ^*P < 0.05 (one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test). Hematoxylin-eosin staining showed no noticeable alterations in; j vehicle treated or mice injected with untreated k WT or l–q LCN-2^−/− neutrophils (±) IFNλ. But, significant alterations were observed in the INL or ONL (blue asterisks) and RPE/IS + OS (blue arrow heads), in NOD-SCID mice sub-retinally injected with; l, m IFNλ-exposed WT neutrophils or n recombinant LCN-2. r Representative spider plot from all of the experimental groups showing the thickness of the IS/OS + RPE layers using the H&E images. n = 5. ^*P < 0.05 (one−way ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test), Scale Bar, 20 μm