Figure 6. Evaluation of sex differences in Vglut2, glutamate, mitochondrial function, and oxidative stress in the vagal ganglia of male and female mice after MI.

(A and B) Vglut2 (n = 6 animals/sample per group, 3 separate samples/experiments) and glutamate levels (n = 9 animals/sample per group, 3 separate samples/experiments) were measured from pooled vagal ganglia of infarcted male and infarcted female Vglut2-ChR2-EYFP mice. Vglut2 levels were unchanged, but glutamate levels were significantly reduced in males versus females after MI (P < 0.05). (C) Oxygen consumption was assessed in the isolated vagal ganglia of Vglut2-ChR2-EYFP males (n = 6 ganglia) and females (n = 6 ganglia) after MI. (D–F) Basal mitochondrial (P < 0.05), ATP-linked (P < 0.05), and FCCP-induced oxygen consumption rates were lower (P = 0.05) in males compared with female infarcted mice. (G) 4-HNE levels were quantified in isolated vagal ganglia from infarcted Vglut2-ChR2-EYFP male and female mice (n = 6 [i.e., 12 ganglia] per sex per sample, 3 independent experiments) and were significantly lower in male compared with female mice (P < 0.05). Unpaired Student’s t test was used for male versus female comparisons. Data are shown as mean ± SEM. *P < 0.05.