Clearance of Apoptotic Cells by Macrophages Induces Regulatory Phenotype and Involves Stimulation of CD36 and Platelet-Activating Factor Receptor

Figure 1

Efferocytosis involves PAFR and CD36. BMDM plated on coverslips were treated with PAFR antagonists WEB (WEB2086, 50 μM) or CV (CV3988, 10 μM) alone or in association with a specific blocking antibody to CD36 (1 μg/mL) for 30 min before addition of apoptotic thymocytes (10 per macrophage). After 90 min of phagocytosis, cells were washed for removal of noningested targets and coverslips were stained with haematoxylin/eosin. The phagocytic indexes (derived by multiplying the percentage of macrophages containing at least one ingested target by the number of targets ingested by the macrophages) were assessed by cell counting under an optical microscope. Values are mean ± SEM of at least three independent experiments (^∗𝑃<0.05 versus control; ^∗∗𝑃<0.01 versus control; ^#𝑃<0.05 versus WEB, CV, and CD36 Ab).