Figure 5.

MR16-1 treatment significantly inhibited STAT3 activation in the atherosclerotic lesions of both IκBNS^−/−/LDLr^−/− and LDLr^−/− mice. (A) Representative photomicrographs of sections of aortic sinus plaque from four groups after treatment of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) or MR16-1 (2 mg) once a week during a high-fat diet consumption of 16 weeks. Sections were processed for pSTAT3 staining (bars = 25 µm). (B) Quantitative analysis of pSTAT3-positive cell in vascular wall in sections from four groups. IκBNS/LDLr KO PBS: PBS-treated IκBNS^−/−/LDLr^−/− mice, LDLr KO PBS: PBS-treated LDLr^−/− mice. IκBNS/LDLr KO MR16-1: MR16-1-treated IκBNS^−/−/LDLr^−/− mice, LDLr KO MR16-1: MR16-1-treated LDLr^−/− mice. Data are expressed as mean ± SEM. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, and ***p < 0.001. NS, not significant.