Fig. 5

QC increased apoptosis genes while suppressing Tfh cell genes. (A) Volcano diagram of DEGs (differentially expressed genes) of CD4⁺ T cells between control group and QC group (n = 5). (B) Heatmap of DEGs related to apoptosis, senescence and differentiation in control group and QC group (n = 5). (C) KEGG enrichment analysis of CD4⁺ T cells in control group and QC group (n = 5), these pathways were significant differences in the diagram. (D) RT-PCR verified relative expression of mRNA in control group and QC group, Values are shown as mean ± SEM (n = 5, *P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01)