Ghrelin restores CD4 T cell proliferation after sepsis.

<p>Mice were subjected to sham operation or CLP with vehicle (normal saline) or ghrelin (2 nm/mouse) injections at 5 and 20 h following CLP operation. Spleens were harvested at day 3 after CLP. Isolated splenocytes were labeled with CFSE (5 μM) and cultured ex vivo in anti-CD3/CD28 (1 μg/ml each) coated wells for 72 h, followed by the staining of cells with APC- anti-mouse CD4 Abs and acquision of the data using flow cytometry. The cell proliferation percentages were calculated and sham group was normalized as 100%. Data are expressed as mean ± SEM (n = 4–5 mice/group). *P < 0.05 vs. sham and ^#P < 0.05 vs. vehicle-treated animal. CLP, cecal ligation and puncture; CFSE, carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester; CD, cluster of differentiation.