Effect of rhIL-10 on LPS-induced suppression of neutrophil apoptosis. Freshly isolated neutrophils (1 × 106/mL) from healthy humans (control; ▪) and patients with severe sepsis (patient; □) were cultured with LPS (1 μg/mL) in the presence or absence of rhIL-10 (100 U/mL) for 16 hours. Neutrophil apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry after permeabilization with ethanol and staining with propidium iodide. Data are reported as the percentage of fragmented nuclei reflecting the relative proportion of apoptotic neutrophils. Results represent the mean ± SEM of five separate experiments performed with neutrophils isolated from five independent healthy individuals and five patients with severe sepsis. *P < .05 without agent versus LPS; ‡P < .05 without rhIL-10 versus with rhIL-10.
