Figure 5. Recruited Mφs activate β-catenin signalling and induce VSMC proliferation after AngII infusion.

(a,b) Representative density plots. Aortic Mφs of 1-week saline- and AngII-infused mice (a) of and in AngII-infused mice treated with PBS liposome (PBS-Lip) or clodronate liposome (Clo-Lip) (b) were analysed by flow cytometry. Cells within the boxes are CD11b+F4/80+Mφs. The flow cytometric analysis was performed with pooled aortic tissues from a total of 3–10 mice and percent gated cell frequencies are indicated in each representative plot. (c) β-Galactosidase staining of the aortic tissue from AngII-infused Axin2^LacZ mice, treated with PBS-Lip or Clo-Lip. Arrowheads indicate β-galactosidase-positive nuclei. Scale bar, 50 μm. The number of LacZ-positive cells in the media of aortic tissue from Axin2^LacZ mice is shown. *P<0.05 versus PBS-Lip-treated AngII-infused mice (n=5–6). (d) Aortic tissues from AngII-infused mice treated with PBS-Lip or Clo-Lip were immunostained for BrdU (green) and β-catenin (red). Scale bar, 100 μm. (e) The number of double-positive (BrdU(+)/αSMA(+)) cells per aortic section from AngII-infused mice treated with PBS-Lip or Clo-Lip. *P<0.05 versus PBS-Lip-treated AngII-infused mice (n=5). Statistical significance was determined using one-way analysis of variance with Turkey’s post hoc test for c, and the unpaired two-tailed Mann–Whitney U-test for e. Results are represented as mean±s.d. DAPI, 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole.