Fig. 4.

A: H₂O₂-induced increases in Nrf2 binding activity in nuclear extracts from carotid arteries of 3- and 24-mo-old F344XBN rats. Data are means ± SE. *P < 0.05 vs. 3 mo old (n = 6). B: quantitative real-time RT-PCR data showing H₂O₂-induced increases in mRNA expression of GCLC (B), NQO1 (C), and catalase (D) in aorta segments isolated from 3- and 24-mo-old F344xBN rats. Data are means ± SE (n = 4–6 for each data point). *P < 0.05 vs. 3 mo old. E: representative Western blots showing H₂O₂ (10⁻⁵ mol/l) and high glucose (30 mmol/l)-induced increases in protein expression of GCLC and NQO1 in aorta segments isolated from 3- and 24-mo-old F344XBN rats. β-Actin was used for normalization purposes. Bar graphs (F: GCLC; G: NQO1) are normalized densitometric ratios. *P < 0.05 vs. 3 mo old.