AC hmwPSs promoted DC activation <i>in vivo</i>.

<p>CD11c⁺ DCs were isolated from draining lymph nodes and spleen of mice intraperitoneally injected with PBS (control) or AC hmwPSs (5 or 10 μg/mouse) after 6 h. (A) The expressions of CD40, CD86 and MHC class II (gray-filled area) were determined by immunostaining and flow cytometry. The black line represents staining with an isotype-matched control antibody. The level of expression is indicated as MFI in each graph. (B) The amount of IL-12 was determined by quantitative real-time PCR. *<i>p</i><0.05 (<i>Mann</i>–<i>Whitney U test</i>) are comparisons between AC hmwPS-treated and PBS-treated mice. All of the results are representative of three or four independent experiments.