Fig 2: IL-33 and ST-2 expression in eosinophils from the AE mouse model. Flow cytometry was used to quantify IL-33+ and ST-2+ eosinophils in A peripheral blood; B hepatic tissue; and C spleen tissue of AE model mice (n = 5). Data are presented as mean ± SD. *P < 0.05; ns, P > 0.05

Fig 3: Evaluation of hepatic fibrosis, liver index, and α-SMA expression following treatment. A Representative hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Masson’s trichrome-stained liver sections from the control, ABZ, ABZ + IL-33−, and ABZ + ST-2− groups (n = 5 per group). Collagen volume fraction (CVF) was quantified using ImageJ software. B Liver index comparison across groups. C Western blot analysis of α-SMA protein expression and qPCR quantification of α-SMA mRNA levels. Data are presented as mean ± SD. *P < 0.05; ns, P > 0.05

Fig 4: IL-33 and ST-2 enhance α-SMA expression and modulate eosinophil function in vitro. A Representative DAPI-stained images from Transwell migration assay comparing control group (n = 5), E.m-Ag group (n = 5), and IL-33 intervention group (n = 5). B Flow cytometric assessment of eosinophil phagocytosis of E. coli (green fluorescence). C Flow cytometric analysis of α-SMA expression in hepatic stellate cells following co-culture and IL-33 intervention. Data are expressed as mean ± SD. *P < 0.05; ns, P > 0.05

Fig 5: IL-33 and ST-2 expression in hepatic tissue of the AE mouse model. A, C Immunohistochemical analysis of IL-33 and ST-2 expression in hepatic tissue from mice infected with E. multilocularis (n = 5). Quantification was performed using the TissueGnostic Analysis System (StrataQuest, TissueGnostics GmbH, Vienna, Austria). The system-generated schematic delineates lesion areas (gray), close-to-lesion tissue (CLT; yellow), and distant liver tissue (DLT; blue). Positive cells (red) and negative cells (green) were automatically identified. B, D Flow cytometry-based quantification of IL-33+ and ST-2+ cells. Gating strategy: Gate 2 denotes all positive cells within the full visual field; gate 3 represents positive cells within the marginal area (CLT); and gate 4 represents positive cells within the normal tissue (DLT). Data are expressed as mean ± SD. *P < 0.05; no significant difference (ns), P > 0.05