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. 2017 Mar;56(3):383–392. doi: 10.1165/rcmb.2014-0482OC

Figure 6.

Figure 6.

Effect of vitamin D deficiency on alveolar development. (A) Pups born to vitamin D–deficient dams (Pre-Def/Post-Def) have alveolar simplification, with larger and fewer alveoli when compared with (B) pups born to vitamin D–sufficient dams (Pre-Suff/Post-Suff) (hematoxylin and eosin stain [Fisher Scientific, Pittsburgh, PA], 100×). (C) Mice of postnatal supplementation and (D) deficiency showed intermediary alveolar size and number. (E) Morphometric analysis showed that Pre-Def/Post-Def mice had increased intra-alveolar spacing, as quantified by mean linear intercept (MLI; P < 0.0001), with no effect of postnatal supplementation (P = 0.44) or postnatal deficiency (P = 0.11). (F) Pre-Def/Post-Def showed decreased alveolar septation measured by radial alveolar count (RAC; P < 0.0001) when compared with the Pre-Suff/Post-Suff group. RAC improved with postnatal supplementation (P < 0.01) and deteriorated with postnatal deficiency (P < 0.05). Scale bars, 250 μm. Results are expressed as mean (±SEM).