Fig. 7.

Smooth muscle actin (SMA) (A) levels in lung homogenate between unexposed, untreated wild-type controls (WT-CTRL), LPS/elastase mice, and iloprost-treated LPS/elastase mice. Iloprost significantly reduced SMA levels compared with untreated LPS/elastase mice (P < 0.05). Units are relative band intensity. Western blot is also displayed. B: immunohistochemistry stained for SMA. C: staining was increased in the LPS/Elastase Group, and reduced after exposure to iloprost, which was confirmed by quantification of SMA thickness in small and medium vessels. D: There were no significant differences in hydroxyproline levels between the three groups. Comparisons were made using one-way ANOVA with Tukey's post hoc test. n = 3 for WT-CTRL, n = 5 for LPS/elastase, and n = 5 for LPS/elastase + iloprost. *P ≤ 0.05; ***P < 0.0001.