Figure 2.

Quantification and Localization Analysis of CD34-, αSMA-, and CD68-Positive Cells

(A) The upper panel shows sodium dodecyl sulphate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis images of the tissue lysates (total protein 10 μg) from patients with AS (n = 6), normal (n = 5), and eBVs (n = 12). (B) Quantification and statistical analyses in western blotting of (A). Kruskal-Wallis test and Dunn’s multiple-comparisons test (all comparisons) were used to analyze the cluster of differentiation 34 (CD34), αSMA, and CD68 levels between the AS and normal native valves. ∗P < 0.05 and ∗∗∗P < 0.001. (C) Correlations of the protein levels of vimentin and cell-specific markers (CD34, αSMA, and CD68). (D) Immunofluorescence costaining of vimentin/CD68 or vimentin/CD34 in the normal and bioprosthetic valves. Scale bars, 100 μm. Abbreviations as in Figure 1.