Fig. 6.

Role of ANP on the development of lung inflammation induced by LTA and PepG. A: C57BL/6J mice were treated with a mixture of LTA (2.5 mg/kg) and PepG (2.5 mg/kg), with or without concurrent treatment with ANP (2 μg/kg) or sterile saline solution for 24 h. Control animals were treated with sterile saline solution or ANP alone. Cell count and protein concentration were measured in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid taken from control and experimental animals. Values are means ± SD; n = 6 per condition. *P < 0.05, compared with LTA/PepG treatment. B: lung specimens were obtained from control, LTA/PepG-treated, ANP-treated, and ANP + LTA/PepG-treated C57BL/6J mice. Animal lungs were fixed in formaldehyde, embedded in paraffin, cut into 5-μm sections, and stained with hematoxylin and eosion. Original magnification: ×20. Images are representative of five to eight lung specimens for each condition.