Figure 8.

Therapeutical effect of NLRP3 knockdown on NLRP3 inflammasome activation, phenotypic transformation, vascular remodeling and hypertension in SHR. The measurements were made 2 weeks after transfection. (a) Relative protein expressions of NLRP3, procaspase-1, caspase-1, pro-IL-1β and IL-1β. (b) Ratio of caspase-1 to procaspase-1 and ratio of IL-1β to pro-IL-1β. (c) IL-1β levels measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. (d) Relative protein expressions of OPN, α-SMA, SM22 α and PCNA. (e) Representative images showing EdU-positive cells measured with EdU incorporation assay. Blue fluorescence shows cell nuclei and red fluorescence stands for cells with DNA synthesis. (f) Bar graph showing the percentage of EdU-positive cells. (g) Representative sections of thoracic aortas with Masson staining. (h) Media thickness (M), lumen diameter (L) and the ratio of M to L of aorta. Values are mean±S.E. *P<0.05 versus WKY; ^†P<0.05 versus PBS or scrambled (Scr-) shRNA. n=6