Fig. 1.

A Western high-fat diet (HF) was associated with increased accumulation of interstitial collagen, as demonstrated by picrosirus staining (column 1); increased perivascular collagen, as demonstrated on Van-Giesen stained sections (column 2); and expression of collagen IV (column 3). Collagen accumulation associated with HF feeding was reduced in RAGE knockout (KO) mice (HF+KO, bottom row) and in mice receiving alegebrium chloride (HF+AL, 3rd row). Cardiac fat accumulation was increased in fat-fed mice, as demonstrated by staining with Oil red O (right column 4). This increase was not altered in RAGE KO mice and mice receiving alegebrium chloride.