Fig. 4.

Effect of AGEs and RAGEs inhibitors on HUVEC number and ROS generation. (A) Viable cell number. Viable cell number was measured after 24 h of incubation in each condition and normalized to the BSA control = 100%. AGEs alone significantly decreased cell number (p = 0.0147). vRAGE-ELP, but not empty ELP, restored cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. NAC, an antioxidant, also recovered cell viability. N = 6. Statistics: One-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s test: #p < 0.05, ### p < 0.001, * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001. Asterisks indicate comparisons with AGE group. (B) ROS levels. AGE stimulation increased ROS generation in HUVECs. The ROS level significantly decreased when cells were treated vRAGE-ELP or NAC, while empty ELPs had no effect. AGE = 100 μg/mL, vRAGE-ELP = 1 mg/mL, ELP = 1 mg/mL, NAC = 30 mM. Blue: Nuclei, Green: ROS. Scale bar = 200 μm.