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. 2013 Dec 20;306(4):H585–H597. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00821.2013

Fig. 2.

Fig. 2.

Knockout of Sirt3 reduces angiogenesis and increases myocardial apoptosis. A: representative images and quantitative analysis of endothelial cell (EC) tube formation. There was few tubule structures in EC isolated from Sirt3KO mice compared with EC from WT mice. Quantitative analysis of tube number showed that the number of tube formation was significantly reduced in Sirt3KO-EC (n = 3; *P < 0.05). B: representative images and quantitative analysis of vessel sprouting in WT mouse and Sirt3KO mouse vessel explants. Quantitative analysis revealed that the area of vessel sprouting was significant reduced in Sirt3KO mice (n = 4 mice) compared with WT mice (n = 3 mice; *P < 0.05). C: representative images and quantitative analysis of arteriole density in WT mice and Sirt3KO mice. Arteriole was stained by smooth muscle actin (SMA, red) and nuclei were stained by DAPI (blue, ×40). Merged images show that the arteriole density was decreased in the hearts of Sirt3KO mice compared with control WT mice (n = 3–4 mice; *P < 0.05). D: representative images and quantitative analysis of capillary density in hearts of WT mice and Sirt3KO mice. Capillary was stained with the EC marker IB4 (green) and nuclei were counterstained with DAPI (blue). Myocardial capillary density was reduced in Sirt3KO mice compared with control WT mice (n = 3–4 mice; *P < 0.05). E: representative images and quantitative analysis of transferase deoxyuridine nick end labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells showing apoptotic cells were significantly increased in the heart of Sirt3KO mice (n = 4) compared with that of control WT mice (n = 3; *P < 0.05). Apoptotic cells were stained by TUNEL (green)-positive and nuclei were counterstained with DAPI (blue). F: echocardiography was performed on WT mice and Sirt3KO mice. Left vetricular (LV) wall thickness was significantly increased in Sirt3KO mice (n = 6) compared with WT mice (n = 7; *P < 0.05). Ejection fraction (EF) and fractional shortening (FS) were declined in Sirt3KO mice, but there was no statistically significant difference when compared with WT mice (P > 0.05).