FIG. 1.

Aldosterone induces Nrf2 activation and expression of Nrf2-regulated genes in vivo dependent on the MR and oxidative stress. Evaluation of immunohistochemical staining on paraffin-embedded kidney cortex and medulla sections for Nrf2 activation. The ratio of positive/negative nuclei was quantified by Cell Profiler within eight visual fields of (A) cortex and (B) medulla of the kidney. Expression of HO-1 (32 kDa) and γGCSc (73 kDa) in the rat kidney was evaluated by Western blot (C, D). Representative images and the quantification of the HO-1 and γGCSc bands are shown. (A–D) Shown are mean values±SEM, *p≤0.05 versus the control group, ^#p≤0.05 versus the aldosterone-treated group, tested by ANOVA with subsequent post-hoc comparisons by Scheffé. HO-1, heme oxygenase-1; MR, mineralocorticoid receptor; Nrf2, nuclear factor-erythroid-2-related factor 2; γGCSc, γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase catalytic subunit.