2.1 Imiquimod-induced psoriasis mouse model and therapy
BALB/c mice (8 weeks old) were administered a daily dose of 62.5 mg IMQ cream (Mingxin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Chengdu, China) on the back skin of shaved mice for 7 d. For the therapeutic potential of IL-35, we administered IL-35 (5 μg) one day before the establishment of the IMQ-induced psoriasis mouse model, while three additional injections were administered every other day during the establishment of the model. At 24 h after the last injection, animals were anaesthetised with 50 μL of chloral hydrate (10 %; intraperitoneal injection) for macroscopic photography. Animals were then euthanised, and samples of serum and psoriatic lesion tissues were collected. The spleen and skin were used for flow cytometry and histological tests.