Figure 6.
Effect of gender and aging on E2 signaling in lung inflammation. Lung inflammation was induced by CAR injection in female and male mice at the age of 5 (bar legend as in Fig. 1B) or 18 months (either intact or treated with E2), as indicated. Histological score (A) or infiltrated PMN cells numbers (B) are shown; bars represent the average ± sem of all the animals (n = 8), each analyzed in triplicate. * vs. sham; ^ vs. 5-month sham; *, P < 0.05; **, P < 0.01; ***, ^^^, P < 0.001. C, Expression levels of the ERα gene was evaluated by real-time PCR on the mRNA extracted from BMDCs, alveolar macrophages (alv. MØ), and lung tissue from 5-month-old (black bars) and 18-month-old (open bars) female mice. Each data point represents the average ± sem of samples from three mice analyzed in triplicate. D, Representative images of immunohistochemistry assays performed using a specific ERα antibody in lung sections from 18-month-old female mice injected with CAR (left panel) or with E2 before CAR (right panel). A cytoplasmic localization of ERα is observed in PMN cells, independently of E2 administration.