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. 2017 Nov 7;18(11):2357. doi: 10.3390/ijms18112357

Figure 2.

Figure 2

Down-regulated miR-1224-5p attenuates silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis and restores mitophagy in vivo. (A) qRT-PCR analysis of miR-1224-5p levels in mouse lung tissues after injection of saline, silica, silica plus antagomir negative control (anta-NC), and silica plus miR-1224-5p antagomir (anta-1224-5p) for 28 days, with ** p < 0.01 vs. the saline group and ## p < 0.01 vs. the silica plus anta-NC group; (B) The lung histological lesions were observed with haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. Red arrows indicate fibrotic foci and destruction of alveolar architecture. Scale bar: 100 µm; (C) Collagen deposition in lung tissues were observed by Masson’s trichrome staining. Red arrows indicate collagen deposition. Scale bar: 100 µm; (D) Western blot and densitometric analysis of E-cadherin, α-SMA, Vimentin and Collagen I expression in mouse lung tissues, with ** p < 0.01 vs. the saline group and ## p < 0.01 vs. the silica plus anta-NC group; (E) Western blot and densitometric analysis of PINK1, PARK2, and p62 expression in mouse lung tissues, with ** p < 0.01 vs. the saline group and ## p < 0.01 vs. the silica plus anta-NC group; (F) Transmission electron microscopy detection of mitochondrial structure and vacuoles of fibroblasts in mouse fibrotic lung tissues. Blue arrows indicate autophagic vacuoles. Red arrows indicate abnormal mitochondria. Quantification of autophagosomes and percentage of abnormal mitochondria (swollen with an irregular shape and disorganized cristae) from electron microscopy images were performed (five cells each group), with ** p < 0.01 vs. the saline group and ## p < 0.01 vs. the silica plus anta-NC group. Scale bars, 1 µm (upper panels) and 500 nm (lower panels). All data are expressed as the mean ± SD of at least three independent experiments.