Fig 5. Aortic mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines and adhesion molecules following a 6 or 9 month exposure to ¹³⁷Cs.

Levels of CRP, TNFα, MCP-1, IFNγ, ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and E-Sel were determined by RT-qPCR. GAPDH or HPRT were amplified and used as endogenous control. At 6 months, IFNγ and MCP-1 expression was significantly decreased in animals exposed to 100 kBq/l ¹³⁷Cs compared to non-exposed animals; at 9 months, TNFα and ICAM-1 expression was significantly reduced. Results are expressed as mean of fold change ± SEM of n = 5–8 per group per time. *p < 0.05 and **p<0.01 versus Cs 0 control group.