Mapping the immune cell microenvironment by digital spatial profiling in muscle tissue injected with the venom of Daboia russelii

Pathological and inflammatory events in muscle after injection of snake venoms vary in different regions of the affected tissue and at different time intervals. In order to study such heterogeneity in the immune cell microenvironment, a murine model of muscle necrosis based on the injection of the venom of Daboia russelii was used. Histological and immunohistochemical methods were utilized to identify areas in muscle tissue with a different extent of muscle cell damage, based on the presence of hypercontracted muscle cells, a landmark of necrosis, and on the immunostaining for desmin. GeoMx Digital Spatial Profiler (NanoString) was used for assessing the presence of markers of various im-mune cells by comparing high-desmin (non-damaged) and low-desmin (damaged) regions.