Fig. 6.

Hyperoxia-induced lung epithelial cell death is attenuated in NLRP3^−/− mice. A: WT and NLRP3^−/− mice (n = 8 in each group) exposed to 100% O₂ for 48 h were euthanized and lung tissues were collected. Lung tissue sections were stained using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP-mediated nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Shown are representative images of 2 independent experiments. TUNEL-positive apoptotic cells are observed in lung epithelium in WT mice, but they are hardly detectable in NLRP3^−/− mice. Magnification: ×200. B: Western blot analysis of NF-κB, phosphor-NF-κB, caspase-1 p10, and cleaved caspase-3 in whole lung lysates after 48-h hyperoxic exposure. Results are representative of 2 independent experiments.