Fig. 7.
(A) Collagen IV expression in the aortic valve. Representative fluorescence images of aortic root cryosections from diabetic/hyperlipidemic ApoE-deficient mice and C57BL/6 mice stained for collagen IV (red) and counterstained with DAPI (blue) to identify the nuclei; Scalebar: 200 μm. (B) Localization of fluorescently labeled lipopolyplexes either targeted to collagen IV (Cp-LPP/shCtr) or non-targeted (S-LPP/shCtr) in organs harvested from diabetic/hyperlipidemic ApoE-deficient mice injected with lipopolyplexes. Measurements were recorded 90 min after retroorbital administration employing an IVIS Spectrum imaging system Caliper 200, by detection of Rhodamine B fluorescence λex = 535 nm and λem = 620 nm. (C) Quantification of total radiant efficiency in heart, aorta, liver, and aortic root. (D) Representative images of Rhodamine B-labeled Cp-LPP/shCtr and S-LPP/shCtr lipopolyplexes (red) distribution in the aortic valve sections of diabetic/hyperlipidemic ApoE-deficient mice. Nuclei labeled with DAPI (blue); white arrows depict the accumulation of lipopolyplexes. Scale bar: 300 μm. (E) Biochemical parameters for liver (ALT, AST, ALP) and kidney function (BUN and creatinine) measured in the plasma of C57BL/6 control mice (injected with PBS) or mice treated with lipopolyplexes targeted to collagen IV (Cp-LPP/shCtr) or non-targeted (S-LPP/shCtr). Data are mean ± S.D. (n = 3 mice for each group).