Fig. 6.

Effect of [Nle4, DPhe7]-α-MSH (NDP-MSH on glomerular immunoglobulin (Ig)G deposit, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression in pristane-induced lupus-like model. IgG deposits detected by immunohistochemistry in the glomeruli of lupus mice (LM) were abrogated by the treatment with NDP-MSH (a–d). Similarly, α-SMA expression (e–h) and iNOS expression (i–l) were also decreased significantly in LM submitted to NDP-MSH therapy. The results of each marker were expressed as the ratio of positively stained area per total glomerular area (μm²). Data are expressed as median with interquartile range. *P < 0·05 versus control, #P < 0·05 versus LM.