Figure 3. 5-FU induces a decrease in the total cell number in cultures of smooth muscle cells.

To quantify the change in cell number induced by 5-FU, control (A) and 5-FU treated-cells (B–F) were stained with the nuclear dye DAPI. Quantification of the number of nuclei per field revealed that 5-FU treatment induced a decrease in cell number in all the concentrations tested (G). We found an initial reduction of 20% at 0.01 mM up to a reduction of 70% in 10 mM of 5-FU. At least 50 microscopic fields for each culture condition were scored in at least three independent experiments. Values were represented as the means ± standard deviation. Statistical analysis was performed by P<0.05 Mann-Whitney test (control group versus 5-FU treated group). Scale bar = 50 µm.