<p><b>Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α (Panel A), interleukin (IL)-1β (Panel B) and IL-6 (Panel C) protein concentration in the diaphragm (left panels) and in the plasma (right panels) in the four experimental groups.</b> Control = spontaneous ventilation without endotoxemia; MV = mechanical ventilation without sepsis; SV-LPS = endotoxemia with spontaneous ventilation; MV-LPS = endotoxemia with mechanical ventilation. Results are presented in the form of box plots as well as individual values. Boxes are drawn between the first and third quartiles of the distribution, black bars indicate the median, and whiskers indicate the minimum and maximum values, n = 8 per group. *: P<0.05 versus Control; †: P<0.05 versus MV; $: P< 0.05 versus SV-LPS.</p