FIGURE 5.

Fibroblast growth factor (FGF)10 overexpression reverses cigarette smoke (CS)-induced pulmonary emphysema in mice. a) Representative images of haematoxylin and eosin stained lung sections from the respective experimental groups. b) Pulmonary emphysema was histologically quantified in CS- or room air (RA)-exposed mice that were subsequently fed with standard feed (control) or feed containing doxycycline (FGF10) for 1, 5 or 12 weeks, shown as alveoli number (calculated by design-based stereology, n=4–6) or mean linear intercept (MLI) (n=5–7). c) Immunofluorescence staining for alveolar epithelial type 2 cells (AT2, pro-surfactant protein C (pro-SPC)) and type 1 cells (receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE)) in lungs of experimental animals. Quantification shows percentage of AT2 of total lung cells in distal lung parenchyma (n=3). No significant changes in nuclei count were detected between analysed groups. d) mRNA expression of epithelial progenitor markers (secretoglobin family 1A member 1 (Scgb1a1) and surfactant protein C (Sftpc)) in laser microdissected bronchi of experimental mice (n=5). mRNA was quantified using reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR and expression of the gene of interest related to the expression of B2m used as a reference gene. e) Immunofluorescence staining and fluorescence intensity quantification of von Willebrand factor (vWF)/4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) in lungs from CS-treated mice with or without doxycycline-induced FGF10 overexpression for 12 weeks (n=6). In the quantification panels each dot represents a measurement obtained from one individual experimental animal. The mean value for each group is represented by a horizontal line (±sd). Statistical analysis: two-way ANOVA; p-values for each comparison and interaction are given in the graphs. Bold type represents statistical significance.