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. 2013 Oct 25;123(11):4888–4899. doi: 10.1172/JCI66218

Figure 6. AICAR increases AMPK activity and PGC1α expression in the diabetic kidneys, and AMPK activation reverses superoxide production.

Figure 6

(A) p-AMPK was increased in diabetic kidneys treated with AICAR (n > 7 per group, *P < 0.05 vs control, **P < 0.05 vs STZ-diabetes). (B) PGC1α gene expression was increased in the diabetic kidneys treated with AICAR as demonstrated by real-time PCR analysis (n = 6 per group, *P < 0.05 vs. control, **P < 0.05 vs. STZ-diabetes). (C) Representative confocal fluorescent images of DHE oxidation indicate that superoxide is reduced in kidneys of STZ-induced diabetic and Akita diabetic mice (AKITA) and is restored in both models by AICAR. Original magnification, ×10. Sod2+/– mice increase in DHE oxidation. (D) Quantification of renal superoxide in control, diabetic, Sod2+/–, and diabetic mice treated with AICAR. (n ≥ 6 per group, *P < 0.05 vs. control; **P < 0.05 vs. corresponding diabetic group; #P < 0.001 vs. other conditions).