Fig 3. Calcium deposition in the rat aortic wall ex vivo under calcium and phosphate concentrations matching pre- and post-haemodialysis levels in haemodialysis patients.

Rat aortic rings were incubated ex vivo in MEM medium containing the indicated concentrations of calcium and phosphate. The medium was replaced every 2 days and contained ⁴⁵calcium as a radiotracer. After 6 days of incubation, aortic rings were dried and radioactivity was measured by liquid scintillation counting. Results are represented as mean ± SD from three independent experiments, with 15 or 16 rings per condition (five or six rings per condition per experiment). One-way ANOVA and Tukey’s multicomparison test were used for statistical analysis. Calcium and phosphate concentrations are in mmol/L. *p < 0.05; ***p < 0.001. Pre-dialysis conditions were used as a reference. PreHD, pre-haemodialysis; PostHD, post-haemodialysis.