Fig. 3. Aortic sympathetic tone regulates leukocyte adhesion molecule expression after MI.

These experiments examine the vascular innervation after coronary ligation. (A) Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) staining of aortic roots in steady-state and infarcted atherosclerotic mice. L, lumen; M, media; A, adventitia; P, atherosclerotic plaque. Scale bar, 70 μm. TH⁺ area per high-power field was quantified from fluorescent images as means ± SEM (n = 5 ApoE^−/− mice per group). P value is determined by Mann-Whitney U test. (B) Th mRNA levels in aortic roots. Data are means ± SEM (n = 7 ApoE^−/− mice per group from two independent experiments, normalized to controls without MI). P value is determined by Mann-Whitney U test. (C) Aortic arch noradrenaline content. Data are means ± SEM (n = 4 to 5 ApoE^−/− mice per group). P values are determined by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). (D) Aortic arch noradrenaline content in permanent ligation versus 45 min of ischemia followed by reperfusion. Data are means ± SEM (n = 8 to 10 wild-type mice per group from two independent experiments). P value is determined by Mann-Whitney U test. (E) CAM expression by aortic endothelial cells in post-MI atherosclerosis (3 days after MI; red) and after MI + 6-OHDA (blue). The bar graph shows MFI on aortic endothelial cells by flow cytometry (n = 7 to 8 ApoE^−/− mice per group from two independent experiments), normalized to no MI controls. P values are determined by one-way ANOVA. (F) Adrenoceptor α_1–2 and β_1–3 mRNA levels (Adra and Adrb) in sorted murine aortic endothelial cells. Data are means ± SEM (n = 8 ApoE^−/− mice and 5 B6 mice as steady-state myocardium). P values are determined by Mann-Whitney U test.