Non-Specific Binding, a Limitation of the Immunofluorescence Method to Study Macrophages In Situ

Advances in understanding tissue regenerative mechanisms require the characterization of in vivo macrophages as those play a fundamental role in this process. This characterization can be approached using the immuno-fluorescence method with widely studied and used pan-markers such as CD206 protein. This work investigated CD206 expression in an irradiated-muscle pig model using three different antibodies. Surprisingly, the expression pattern during immunodetection differed depending on the antibody origin and could give some false results. False results are rarely described in the literature, but this information is essential for scientists who need to characterize macrophages. In this context, we showed that in situ hybridization coupled with hybridization-chain-reaction detection (HCR) is an excellent alternative method to detect macrophages in situ.

Automated summary

The study found that different antibodies for investigating CD206 expression may result in varied expression patterns during immunodetection, potentially leading to false results. Therefore, researchers need to carefully choose methods for characterizing macrophages. HCR is shown to be an excellent alternative method for detecting macrophages in situ.