Fig. 1.

Cultivation of primary vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) from stable and vulnerable plaques. (A) Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), Masson's trichome, and immunofluorescence staining of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) for histopathology of stable and vulnerable plaques. (B) Isolation and cultivation of primary VSMCs from human carotid plaques. (C) Morphology of primary VSMCs from stable and vulnerable plaques. (D) Quantitative analysis of cell proportions of fusiform and polygonal VSMCs derived from stable and vulnerable plaques (n = 15 patients in each group). (E) Immunofluorescence staining of primary VSMCs from stable and vulnerable plaques with α-SMA and MMP2. (F) Quantitative analysis of the fluorescence intensities of α-SMA and MMP2 in primary VSMCs from stable and vulnerable plaques (n = 30 cells in each group). *p < 0.05 and **p < 0.01 vs. PVSMC(S). *p < 0.05 and **p < 0.01.