(a) Representative TUNEL staining of gastrocnemius muscles after I/R with and without PVAX. (b) Quantification of apoptosis rate in gastrocnemus muscles after I/R with and without PVAX. *, P < 0.05 versus Sham; †, P < 0.05 versus Veh + I/R. N = 4–6/group. (c) mRNA levels of factors associated with inflammation after I/R with different concentrations of PVAX. (d–f) Quantification of TNF-α (d), IL-1β (e), and MCP-1 (f) mRNA levels after I/R with different concentrations of PVAX in HL I/R model. *, P < 0.05 vs Sham; †, P < 0.05 vs Veh + IR. N = 4-6/group. (g) Haematoxylin and eosin-stained histological sections of gastrocnemius muscle showed less damage and less apparent leucocyte infiltration in muscles in PVAX treated mice after I/R.