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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2009 Feb 1.
Published in final edited form as: Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2008 May 1;28(8):1421–1428. doi: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.108.167197

Figure 5. Phagocytosis efficiency of apoptotic cells is decreased in MertkKD;Apoe−/− plaques.

Figure 5

(A) Examples of nuclear (blue; Hoechst), TUNEL (red), and macrophage (green) staining to differentiate macrophage-associated (left column of images) from free (right column of images) apoptotic cells in aortic root lesions of 16-wk diet-fed Apoe−/− and MertkKD;Apoe−/− mice, respectively. (B) Examples of merged nuclear, TUNEL, and macrophage-stained images differentiating macrophage-associated (top image) from free (bottom image) apoptotic cells in aortic root lesions of Apoe−/− and MertkKD;Apoe−/− mice, respectively. Arrows indicate apoptotic bodies. (C) Quantitation of the free-to-macrophage-associated ratio of apoptotic cells in the lesions of the two groups of mice (* indicates P<0.05).