Figure 6. Activation of ET_B receptors is protective against the development of tunicamycin-induced renal apoptosis.

Effects of tunicamycin on renal apoptosis in renal cortex (a) and outer medulla (b) of TG-con and ET_B def rats pre-treated with vehicle or ABT-627 (apoptosis detected by TUNEL assay). Bar = 50 μm. (c) Quantification of TUNEL positive cells in renal cortex and outer medulla. ^†P < 0.05 vs. same genotype + saline; ^‡P < 0.05 vs. same genotype + ABT-627 + tunicamycin; *P < 0.05 vs. TG-con + ABT-627 + tunicamycin. n = 5–6/group. Statistical significance was determined by two-way ANOVA with Tukey post hoc test.