Figure 9. 5-FU induces changes in the nuclear shape in cultures of smooth muscle cells.

Nuclei morphology was analyzed by the calculation of the major/minor axis ratio of DAPI stained cells. One example of a cell culture treated with 10 mM of 5-FU, stained with DAPI and analyzed for the total number of nuclei per field is shown in images (A–C). (A) raw image of DAPI staining, (B) digitally processed image, (C) nuclei counting. (D) Quantification of the percentage of nuclei/field in control and 5-FU treated cells (10 mM) revealed that more than 70% of control cells have a major/minor axis between 1 and 1.5 µm, while only 40% of 5-FU treated cells have a major/minor axis between 1 and 1.5 µm. At least 200 microscopic fields for each culture condition were analyzed in at least three independent experiments. Values were represented as the means ± standard deviation. Scale bar = 20 µm.