Figure 10.

Cardiac levels of pro-caspase 9, c-caspase 9, pro-caspase 3, and c-caspase 3 in mice under sham, B307, DOX, and B307+DOX treatments.

Notes: (A) IHC staining illustrates that cardiac expression levels of caspase 9 and caspase 3 in the mice were visibly reduced under B307 treatment but were visibly enhanced under DOX treatment. As to the DOX-treated mice, cardiac expression levels of calpain and caspase 12 were visibly reduced under oral B307 treatment. (B, C) (a) Western blotting analysis shows the following: (a) expression levels of cardiac pro-caspase 9 (49 kDa), c-caspase 9 (39 kDa), pro-caspase 3 (35 kDa), and c-caspase 3 (17 and 19 kDa) under sham, B307, DOX, and B307+DOX treatments, and (b) quantified levels of pro-caspase 9, c-caspase 9, pro-caspase 3, and c-caspase 3 in the heart tissue of the mice were significantly increased under DOX treatment. As to the DOX-treated mice, quantified levels of pro-caspase 9, c-caspase 9, pro-caspase 3, and c-caspase 3 in the heart tissue were significantly decreased under oral B307 treatment. The number of mice under sham, B307, DOX, and B307+DOX treatments was six for each group. Values are mean ± SEM (*P<0.05, **P<0.01, two-way ANOVA followed by a Student–Newman–Keuls multiple comparisons posttest).

Abbreviations: DOX, doxorubicin; kDa, kilodalton; IHC, immunohistochemical; SEM, standard error of the mean; ANOVA, analysis of variance.