Figure 8

Bone healing in mice under different housing conditions. Analyzing bone healing in a mouse, which has been raised in a SPF (specific pathogen free) surrounding (WT) and a mouse, that had contact with pathogens and thus the possibility to develop its adaptive immune system (higher effector/ memory T cell count) (Wtexp): it became apparent, that the exposed animals showed a diminished healing capacity when compared with animals of SPF raising. This was documented through μCT evaluation showing lower bone mineral density and a lower bone volume/total volume in exposed animals. This data has been earlier published in the context of the negative influence of terminally differentiated CD8+ T cells in bone healing [13].